NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Bronco 2.7L V6 Over Catastrophic Engine Failures

[Exekious]

So glad I stuck with 4 banger.

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[RagnarKon]

So glad I stuck with 4 banger.

Eh, hard to know how many it truly impacts. You got ~25,000 Broncos sold in 2021 with the 2.7L engine, yet only 38 NHTSA reports and 50 reports in a post on the Bronco6G forum (and safe to assume a least a handful of people in the Bronco6G post also submitted a NHTSA report).

Obviously not everyone with the issue is going to submit a NHTSA report or report their failure on this forum, but for all we know it could be less than 1% of the 2.7L Broncos out there.

BUT… I suspect we’ll find out more via this NHTSA investigation.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Eh, hard to know how many it truly impacts. You got ~25,000 Broncos sold in 2021 with the 2.7L engine, yet only 38 NHTSA reports and 50 reports in a post on the Bronco6G forum (and safe to assume a least a handful of people in the Bronco6G post also submitted a NHTSA report).

Obviously not everyone with the issue is going to submit a NHTSA report or report their failure on this forum, but for all we know it could be less than 1% of the 2.7L Broncos out there.

BUT… I suspect we’ll find out more via this NHTSA investigation.

The final toll will be a fairly low percentage, but I do keep seeing new ones reported in the FB groups fairly often as the miles start racking up. It's not over yet. After moving into my 4th week of waiting for brake repairs, I can only image how much it sucks waiting for engines.

 

[okbob]

So glad I stuck with 4 banger.

Have you looked at the actual statistics?

 

[Exekious]

Have you looked at the actual statistics?

It's less what actually will happen and what people perceive as reliability. I read previously that it appears there is a bad batch of valves affecting these engines.

I didn't think the V6 was required for me in the first place. I drive it on the autobahn regularly and it pulls well all the way to it's speed limiter (105mph). If I did lose an engine, I think I'd have a bit of hassle getting it rebuilt under warranty since it's a US spec vehicle in Germany. If I could have gotten a better tow rating from the V6, I might have ordered my second Bronco with the V6 anyway.

 

[okbob]

It's less what actually will happen and what people perceive as reliability. I read previously that it appears there is a bad batch of valves affecting these engines.

I didn't think the V6 was required for me in the first place. I drive it on the autobahn regularly and it pulls well all the way to it's speed limiter (105mph). If I did lose an engine, I think I'd have a bit of hassle getting it rebuilt under warranty since it's a US spec vehicle in Germany. If I could have gotten a better tow rating from the V6, I might have ordered my second Bronco with the V6 anyway.

That's easier to understand then, your first post makes it sound like you went with the 2.3l because of the 2.7l issue lol.

 

[Carolina Jim]

Why does everything have to turn into an internet fourm soap opera?

One of the perks of buying a new vehicle is presumed reliability. But Ford's silence creates the feeling that you're driving on eggshells. Speaking for myself, if I knew there was a preemptive parts exchange that would prevent this Carmageddon, I'd likely just pay for it myself.

 

[Broncoshrimp]

Did you perform a personsl teardown of your engine and see the broken parts? If not, then how do you know the failure was really related to the valvetrain?

How can Ford fix something preemptively "before it blows"? That makes no sense. The warranty covers poor workmanship, design, and defects. How is the 2.7L valvetrain issue not fall under warranty? Where does it say in the warranty language that Ford owes you (and the World) an explanation? It doesn't. Ford has an obligation to repair what ever broke under the powertrain warranty. That's it, nothing more.

Why does everything have to turn into an internet fourm soap opera? It sucks your engine had a failure, but that's the risk taken when you buy a machine with 40,000 parts in it. The manufacturer takes a risk that every part it buys from suppliers and the parts it makes in-house are defect-free. Nothing perfect.

Sorry I struck a nerve in you, I was legitimately curious if you had read a direct communication from Ford regarding the supplier issue. And no, I didn’t do a personal tear down but my tech ran a scope and documented the findings on Reddit.
I think you might be confusing “recall” and “warranty.” Recall is the preemptive part…
Anyway, no drama here. I’ve had my Bronco back since the end of October 2021 and so far no other issues. I only worry about an engine failure happening to a carload of people on the expressway…knowing that Ford is aware of a ticking time bomb in certain production lots is where the transparency comes in to play.

 

[pakrat]

It's not as if the failures are causing trucks to come to a sudden halt. If it fails put your emergency lights on and coast to the side. Just like running out of gas. Do we need a recall because every vehicle runs the risk of running out if gas? My Bronco is right in the middle of the shitstorm and I'm not concerned at all. I have a warranty.

Imagine being at a stoplight and it dies (like a good many of the cases). Light turns green... no power, people behind you honk and then go around, and now Donny dipshit comes flying up face down in a big gulp not expecting you to be stopped in an intersection on a green. Not only will you need an engine warranty but probably a whole new Bronco which you might get in 2024. Maybe you are out doing some adventuring 15 miles up some hairy trail and dead engine. Depending on your preparedness you might be in real trouble. And if you can actually get yourself out the Bronco may be spending the night out in the wild. An unattended new Bronco sure would be a tempting target.

Worse case scenarios obviously but Ford should be recalling and fixing the vehicles in question. Every bit of advertising is based around remote off-road adventures. Accidents happen and there are always a few bad vehicles that get produced but this is ridiculous. With the telemetry data they have in each and every Bronco they know exactly what is wrong and which vehicles are affected by the faulty valves.

 

[Sherminiator]

With the telemetry data they have in each and every Bronco they know exactly what is wrong and which vehicles are affected by the faulty valves.

The point is that either they don't have the data aggerated yet or haven't found a common dominator that says engines XXX will be affected.

Ford isn't going to talk about this till they have a path forward on how to handle it. Silence isn't them hiding-its them protecting themselves from lawsuits till they have an answer...and an overly aggressive Bronco community isn't going to themselves favors either.

 

[Cable Guy]

Guess sitting around for 18 months with no word from Ford or end in sight actually paid off in this regard….

 

[bytheway]

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news...feds-investigate-ford-bronco-engine-failures/

Looks like this news station actually got ford to issue a statement that they’re aware of the issue. Which is more than we’ve heard up until now. So hopefully things are moving in the right direction.

 

[gwiacek]

https://fordauthority.com/2022/06/ford-bronco-2-7l-v6-ecoboost-engine-failures-explained-exclusive/

"As some are already aware, part of the problem with these 2.7L powerplants is that they utilize cheaper, sub-optimal valves that were acquired from a new supplier that apparently didn’t properly validate those particular components. But in addition to the faulty valves, the Bronco’s version of the 2.7L V6 EcoBoost also utilizes a less than optimal oil pan design as well, which allows the oil pickup tube to become uncovered and suck in air, which in turn can destroy not only valves, but bearings as well, particularly during spirited or erratic driving when oil is sloshing around inside the powerplant."

 

[Carolina Jim]

particularly during spirited or erratic driving

lol....sounds like only the mall-crawlers are safe!

 

[77Ford]

I love threads like this: it's like a cheat sheet on who to ignore/block:

I agree with this statement 100% however I think the people that we are ignoring are on opposite sides of the issue. Great concept though.

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