Long term reliability > 100k miles yet, anyone?

[BroncoTX]

Hi,

I have a 2014 Mazda CX-5 that serves me pretty well, with 180k miles on it. Frankly it's still going strong, and if I were "pound-wise" I would keep running it. But damnit I like the look of the Bronco, and prices have come down a little bit.

But I don't want a vehicle that needs massive repairs every 40k miles. The CX-5 has had maybe $5,000 of maintenance done to it over the past 11 years, not including tires and oil. I like this. I'd like my next vehicle to be the same level of care-free.

For those that are putting miles on the Bronco, how is it going drivetrain-wise? If it matters, I'm leaning toward a 2.3L four-door.

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[userdude]

There's a lot of electronics in cars these days; my 2010 Chevy has been pretty good (I would say similar), but it's really an order of magnitude simpler than contemporary vehicles to my Bronco, which hasn't been terrible. My biggest issue, fixed under warranty, was the pinion seal at 18k, which is common in 4x4 trucks.

I would recommend getting something with the least amount of moving parts in the drivetrains, like one or no diffs, unless you want to off road (even then...). The diffs and probably 4A are additional moving parts that will wear and/or cause issues. The 2.3L, which I have, is plenty power for most and has been around since 85. I don't see it having real issues. Non-Sas too, since you would have less mass and wear on the corners/brakes/etc.

Big Bend and Outer Banks with maybe the mid-package to omit some of the systems that come with the higher package. You also probably really want an ESP from Ford (Granger and Flood, Ford dealers, sell them at just over cost; I have one from Granger).

Being realistic though, Ford has issues. Generally if you get one that's not a lemon, you're probably fine. But things like the suspect MIC top, which is expensive to replace, might give you pause. That's probably the biggest if, although you could go soft top and avoid that, if you don't mind it.

@mpeugeot has over 100k, maybe he can give his perspective.

 

[RagnarKon]

I also was going to suggest @mpeugeot chime in.

Realistically though... anyone with over 100,000 miles at this stage is going to be clocking a TON of highway miles, which probably isn't the best judge of long-term reliability. Highway miles are fairly friendly on the drivetrain.

That said, the 2.3L and the 10-speed in the Bronco has been around for about a decade in the Ranger, Explorer, Mustang, etc. Obviously not 100% identical on the powertrain front, but the engine & transmission are pretty well baked at this point.

 

[bbb2021]

100k miles is a good time to start thinking about V8/Tremec conversion lol

 

[drive21bronco]

I drive 33,500 miles a year, probably 85 percent highway. I would be at 100k if this was my only car I drove, but its not so I'm at 65k miles on my 2.3l / 6 Spd manual. My bronco runs/drives like it has 10k on it. But I keep it clean and do oil changes every 7,500 miles. The mostly highway miles and my grandma style driving are the major factors to its current condition. Still on the original General Grabbers and brakes.

 

[Imaginary Friend]

Being realistic though, Ford has issues.

To say the least.

I've always been a Ford guy and have had better luck with them than the other domestics, but my '19 F150 is high on the list of reasons I haven't bought a Bronco. Last night I noticed that the latest issue is a leaky rear pinion seal. It's going to hit 30K miles in about a week, and is several months out of warranty. Before that it was a full set of cam phaser solenoids, among several other things. It's getting to the point of me wondering what's next, and thoughts of punting it abound.

If you must have a Bronco, I'd suggest the most basic one possible, as others have said.

 

[mpeugeot]

Hi,

I have a 2014 Mazda CX-5 that serves me pretty well, with 180k miles on it. Frankly it's still going strong, and if I were "pound-wise" I would keep running it. But damnit I like the look of the Bronco, and prices have come down a little bit.

But I don't want a vehicle that needs massive repairs every 40k miles. The CX-5 has had maybe $5,000 of maintenance done to it over the past 11 years, not including tires and oil. I like this. I'd like my next vehicle to be the same level of care-free.

For those that are putting miles on the Bronco, how is it going drivetrain-wise? If it matters, I'm leaning toward a 2.3L four-door.

I have the 2.7L two-door. It's be extremely reliable and despite the fact that I have a lot of highway miles on the Bronco, I also off-road it and I am not particularly gentle with it. I don't wheel hard core like some here, but I am not afraid to rough it up either.

With the exception of when I am off-road, it is in 4A Sport mode EVERY day. I tend to be heavy on the throttle and also have the Ford Performance tune.

I am not worried about the drive train, not even in the slightest. I am going to replace the M190 with an M210 eventually (as it's sitting in the garage waiting to go in), but not because of any failures.

The one failure I had was a very strange one, the shock rod punched through the tophat, but no one else has reported a suspension failure like that. That part failed at 100k miles and I drove the vehicle home 800+ miles, so it wasn't anything that kept me from driving at highway speeds. As luck would have it, I was already planning to upgrade the suspension and the new suspension was already waiting on me.

 

[BroncoA512021]

I have a 2021 OBX with 68,284 miles. Original windshield and brakes. No issues at all. As beautiful as the day she arrived.

 

[mpeugeot]

I have a 2021 OBX with 68,284 miles. Original windshield and brakes. No issues at all. As beautiful as the day she arrived.

I am on my 3rd windshield.

 

[ATLien]

Hi,

I have a 2014 Mazda CX-5 that serves me pretty well, with 180k miles on it. Frankly it's still going strong, and if I were "pound-wise" I would keep running it. But damnit I like the look of the Bronco, and prices have come down a little bit.

But I don't want a vehicle that needs massive repairs every 40k miles. The CX-5 has had maybe $5,000 of maintenance done to it over the past 11 years, not including tires and oil. I like this. I'd like my next vehicle to be the same level of care-free.

For those that are putting miles on the Bronco, how is it going drivetrain-wise? If it matters, I'm leaning toward a 2.3L four-door.

Any way you slice it, a Ford is not likely to be as reliable as your Mazda. If you check out the forum, you'll see the types of issues that tend to pop up. While it is true that problems are always a bit out of proportion on sites like this, many have had real issues. Most of them do seem to be occurring while still under warranty, and they're largely minor.

 

[arwhite]

Keep the Mazda and buy a Bronco. Problem solved.

 

[lakesinai]

Hi,

I have a 2014 Mazda CX-5 that serves me pretty well, with 180k miles on it. Frankly it's still going strong, and if I were "pound-wise" I would keep running it. But damnit I like the look of the Bronco, and prices have come down a little bit.

But I don't want a vehicle that needs massive repairs every 40k miles. The CX-5 has had maybe $5,000 of maintenance done to it over the past 11 years, not including tires and oil. I like this. I'd like my next vehicle to be the same level of care-free.

For those that are putting miles on the Bronco, how is it going drivetrain-wise? If it matters, I'm leaning toward a 2.3L four-door.

My 2021 OBX non-SAS 2.7 with the advanced TC and rear locker, Badlands 33" tires has 65,000 highway & beach miles and has had not a single mechanical issue. Even the brakes are still fine. But who can guarantee!! Haven't gotten to a suspension upgrade yet, but the Skyrider, Halfrack and ARB air are nice. The car is bouncier than my F150, but I'm enjoying the smaller size when parking. There are no perfect cars, but I'm glad I have this one . . . Except when I need to put an adult in the rear seat!

 

[wjtinfwb]

Hi,

I have a 2014 Mazda CX-5 that serves me pretty well, with 180k miles on it. Frankly it's still going strong, and if I were "pound-wise" I would keep running it. But damnit I like the look of the Bronco, and prices have come down a little bit.

But I don't want a vehicle that needs massive repairs every 40k miles. The CX-5 has had maybe $5,000 of maintenance done to it over the past 11 years, not including tires and oil. I like this. I'd like my next vehicle to be the same level of care-free.

For those that are putting miles on the Bronco, how is it going drivetrain-wise? If it matters, I'm leaning toward a 2.3L four-door.

My '23 Big Bend (mid-pkg,) 2.7 Sasquatch has been trouble free in 17 months and 16k miles. But as mentioned by others, it's a more basic build, no adaptive cruise or other such nannies. Those seem to add a magnitude of complexity and are relatively fragile systems that appear to be the root of more issues. However, I also have a '02 Excursion. Like your Mazda its cost me almost zero in 22 years and 200k + miles. But it's pretty basic. Stick with a low trim Bronco and you should be fine.

 

[NC_Oak]

It's the little things these days that get us. Wife's former 2017 highlander, I had to replace the intake air valve at 40K and the freakin water pump at 70K. Was on its 4th battery, when I traded it in. My 97 prelude with 150K on it, I've cleaned the intake manifold, and routine maintenane stuff. Cars are just different now. As many have said, the electrical / electronics gremlins are gunna be the issue. Same as the wife's 2024 grand cherokee now, it's a warranty car IMO, it's gone when the warranty is gone. To that point, I have a 7year ESP on the bronco.

 

[FilmcoBronci]

99k Miles 2021 2.3 Black Diamond Automatic NonSquatch.
Been outstanding. Change Oil and Rotate Tires every 3K.
Stock Height Suspension 285's on RTR 17's.
Highway and Snowey Muddy Roads so gets dirty for work regularly.
Just did Transmission and Transfer Case.
All seems great.
Watching mpeugeot , our Obi Wan

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