Bronco Sport Overheating when Offroad?

[realworld51]

"The hardcore Rock Crawl mode was employed only as needed; same with the rear locker. As it's not a true mechanical locking differential, the latter will overheat if you leave it on constantly and the computer will reduce engine power to cool it, but you don't need it most of the time, anyway."

Source: https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/bronco-sport/2021/2021-ford-bronco-sport-first-drive-review/

I guess for me, it's really going to come down to how long it can go and how hard it can be pushed until it shuts off. I get that it's not a true 4x4, and I don't think anyone is expecting it to be one. But it'd be nice to know exactly what the limitation is, so bad situations can be avoided. Does anyone have a vehicle manual yet? I'm curious what it says about the rear locker.

I'm sure we'll know a lot more by July, when the temps have risen and people have been out there pushing them and finding those limits.

To specifically answer your question - Owner Manual pg 244 “Rear Differential Lock”:
“The rear differential lock provides additional traction to your vehicle when stuck. (Emphasis added)
“You can activate and deactivate the rear differential lock on the fly within the operating speed range.
“The rear differential locker disengages when the vehicle speed exceeds a set value and it re-engages when the vehicle speed goes below a set value.”

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[OffTheGrid]

I have run into it with my Subaru twice now. I have a 2015 Forester with 61k miles on it. Both incidents happened last August. And now I don’t trust the vehicle anymore. I was looking into switching over to a Bronco Sport but after those two reviews, I am going to wait and see if people have issues with the Sport over the 2021 summer. I don’t care what excuses people say, a vehicle shouldn’t be shutting off it’s 4WD when it’s 82 degrees outside. I get that it was being pushed hard, but that is precisely what Ford is showing in its advertisements. Heck, just driving down I-40 through Arizona and New Mexico you can hit 102 degree temps, which is also something that has disabled my Subaru, causing it to completely shutdown while driving at highway speeds, leaving me stranded in the Mojave desert.

After those experiences, I am now hyper sensitive to the fact that auto manufacturers are pushing these little 4 cylinder engines to the absolute brink, chasing consumers’ demands for better fuel efficiency. I want to see what the Ford Bronco Sport does when it’s 90-95 degrees outside and it’s tackling some off-roading. Ford has been posting videos of the Sport doing some incredible stuff out in Moab.

I do hope the TWO reviews I listed are just random flukes. Coming off my experiences with my Subaru, those paragraphs about overheating jumped right out at me. I am super excited for the Bronco Sport. But I’m going to wait until after this coming Summer, or even early 2022, to see if people start posting about the system shutting down when it’s being taxed.

Thanks for posting your previous experiences.
I heard the review person comment vehicles went limp.
Really noticrd how they didnt elaborate on it.

To whom ever commented about haters will hate.
No its about folks who want one and we're paying attention (as we should) to the hands on Bronco reviews now that we can!

Jeeps were known to overheat. Bigger better radiator could resolve.
Had a rubicon that did.
But worse electrical would also shut down. Engine off.
Could go anywhere...sure and stop anywhere.
Got rid of it.

 

[OffTheGrid]

The transmission and rear drive coolers are very welcome additions. I'm really glad they added those. But in my opinion, the jury is still out whether you need to drive it like a rally car to overheat things. I want to see how it fares in 100 degree summers, out in SoCal desert, while performing basic/light duty offroading all day. And I especially want to see how it fares after it's got 50k miles on it. My 2015 Subaru has failed this test miserably. It's started overheating in hot summer temps and I do not trust the vehicle anymore. I'm not saying this is indicative of how the Bronco Sport will fare at all, and I really do expect it to be the best of these little 4 cylinder CUVs when going offroad. In fact, I really want it to be amazing, because I do want to buy one eventually. But after my experiences with my Subaru, I'm a little skeptical over how much you can push these little crossovers when the environmental temps start to creep up. I get the sense the marketing departments for these cars are over promising their capabilities quite a bit.

I do agree that this is a consciously accepted tradeoff, but when you've got Ford posting videos of the Bronco Sport tackling Moab, what are people to think when their own vehicles don't perform the way Ford has presented them?

I'm really rooting for the Bronco Sport. And I'm excited to see how it evolves over the next few years. For now, I decided to hold off on buying one for the first two generations, just to see how things fare. In the meantime, I went and picked up a used FJ while I wait.

Honestly had no idea about these issues from subarus

 

[OffTheGrid]

If you want to believe this vehicle will fail like your experiences will other small off-road vehicles, that this was not user error and that all the other positive reviews just got lucky, go ahead.

It is not a 2/4 door bronco. It does not have the same capability. With that said, it is still a capable on and off road vehicle.

The reviews that claim they had negative performance are a minority. They also appear to be dishonest, not truthful, withholding information or all of the above. The point of a review is to give information so that consumers can make informative decisions. Some reviews are better than others. Some only give personal opinions.

In this specific case over concerns of overheating when off-road, just know you are letting someone, that admittedly drove it like a crazy person then claim the only way to not over heat is to drive peacefully when off-road, inform you of its “capabilities.”

Everything that Ford is advertising about the bronco sport, it is doing and being proven. Most reviews are reporting that the off-road capability exceeded expectations. Some reviewers and consumers are “warning” of its limitations. Ford never claimed it had the capability of the 2/4 door without off-road limitations. And off-road limitations does not mean zero off-road capability.

Every thing about your post is ignoring vehicle goes into limp mode.
I'm not compairing to a Bronco.
I'm paying attention to a new vehicle thats ( as you call it) limitation IS leaving the occupants in a bad spot.

That's what the topic is.
Bronco will have its own issues.

 

[OffTheGrid]

You say valid concern. I say invalid concern.

I say valid concern.
Because its an issue that disables the vehicle.

But you have given zero reasons its not concerning.
Other than trying to discredit the reviews.

I like the vehicle tremendously.
So recognizing this is an issue with these type of mechanical functions is good to KNOW about.

This would be firrst AWD vehicle. And will be traveling in 100's all day off road.
Not black diamond trails.
But if heat will kick its ass i'd rather find out befor paying cash to learn this lesson!

 

[OffTheGrid]

Straight from owners manual

When driving over sand, try to keep all
four wheels on the most solid area
of the trail. Drive through the terrain
without varying vehicle speed. Apply the
accelerator slowly and avoid excessive
wheel slip. Avoid driving your vehicle in
deep sand for an extended period of time
as this may cause the system to overheat.
Use the vehicle’s momentum to maintain
forward motion in sand. Avoid coming to
a stop on steep sand slopes as the vehicle
may not be able to continue forward
motion after it has stopped.

This says it all!
Thanks for posting it!

 

[McBrideless]

I say valid concern.
Because its an issue that disables the vehicle.

But you have given zero reasons its not concerning.
Other than trying to discredit the reviews.

I like the vehicle tremendously.
So recognizing this is an issue with these type of mechanical functions is good to KNOW about.

This would be firrst AWD vehicle. And will be traveling in 100's all day off road.
Not black diamond trails.
But if heat will kick its ass i'd rather find out befor paying cash to learn this lesson!

If you want a vehicle that will go all day in 100 degree weather doing aggressive off roading, the Bronco sport (or any other compact SUV in this class) is not your car. There is a decent chance overheat the transmission and will have to wait a few minutes for it to cool down. It will do better than a comparable Subaru, Toyota, Jeep compass, etc, but it isn’t a full Bronco or a wrangler. It has limits off road.

 

[OffTheGrid]

In a bad spot huh? If you a spinning your tires enough to overheat the 4x4 system, it will disable certain systems in order to cool them because the driver obviously doesn’t know what they are doing and not interested in not damaging their vehicle components so the vehicle will go into limp mode. This feature was designed specifically for people like the mad driving women that shared her incident in her review

There you go again bashing the review instead of accepting the fact these can overheat. Or it has already been known to occur.
It may BE normal for this to happen but your a fool to not acknowledge it.
No your wrong. Its not about the driver. Its about the components of the vehicle.

Yes a driver should know the capability of what their driving.
How would everybody know?
There is NO operating time limits offered on when the system will overheat.
Just says it can overheat.

In a great spot thanks! Lot's of $ saved for the right vehicle.
Making a choice to NOT BE PUT IN A BAD SPOT.

BTW never listen to anyone who says dont be concerned your vehicle may leave you stranded because it can shut down...and its in the owners manuel.

Just sayin'
Over heating factor is an important part of the features on this.

 

[OffTheGrid]

The transmission and rear drive coolers are very welcome additions. I'm really glad they added those. But in my opinion, the jury is still out whether you need to drive it like a rally car to overheat things. I want to see how it fares in 100 degree summers, out in SoCal desert, while performing basic/light duty offroading all day. And I especially want to see how it fares after it's got 50k miles on it. My 2015 Subaru has failed this test miserably. It's started overheating in hot summer temps and I do not trust the vehicle anymore. I'm not saying this is indicative of how the Bronco Sport will fare at all, and I really do expect it to be the best of these little 4 cylinder CUVs when going offroad. In fact, I really want it to be amazing, because I do want to buy one eventually. But after my experiences with my Subaru, I'm a little skeptical over how much you can push these little crossovers when the environmental temps start to creep up. I get the sense the marketing departments for these cars are over promising their capabilities quite a bit.

I do agree that this is a consciously accepted tradeoff, but when you've got Ford posting videos of the Bronco Sport tackling Moab, what are people to think when their own vehicles don't perform the way Ford has presented them?

I'm really rooting for the Bronco Sport. And I'm excited to see how it evolves over the next few years. For now, I decided to hold off on buying one for the first two generations, just to see how things fare. In the meantime, I went and picked up a used FJ while I wait.

This is practical thinking!
Good feedback for others doing research.
Would like to see it do well also.

 

[McBrideless]

There you go again bashing the review instead of accepting the fact these can overheat. Or it has already been known to occur.
It may BE normal for this to happen but your a fool to not acknowledge it.
No your wrong. Its not about the driver. Its about the components of the vehicle.

Yes a driver should know the capability of what their driving.
How would everybody know?
There is NO operating time limits offered on when the system will overheat.
Just says it can overheat.

In a great spot thanks! Lot's of $ saved for the right vehicle.
Making a choice to NOT BE PUT IN A BAD SPOT.

BTW never listen to anyone who says dont be concerned your vehicle may leave you stranded because it can shut down...and its in the owners manuel.

Just sayin'
Over heating factor is an important part of the features on this.

I disagree with a lot of your stuff, but they all fairly good faith arguments except one big one. You keep saying stuff like “leave you in a bad spot” or “leave you stranded”. That isn’t going to happen from this issue! You literally just sit there for a few minutes while it cools down, then you keep driving. Remember, deactivating the AWD is a safety feature to prevent transmission failure. It will make failures less common and reduce wear compared to some older vehicles precisely because there is a sensor now to prevent heat related damage.

Let me repeat that. This issue WILL NOT leave you stranded.

 

[OffTheGrid]

I disagree with a lot of your stuff, but they all fairly good faith arguments except one big one. You keep saying stuff like “leave you in a bad spot” or “leave you stranded”. That isn’t going to happen from this issue! You literally just sit there for a few minutes while it cools down, then you keep driving. Remember, deactivating the AWD is a safety feature to prevent transmission failure. It will make failures less common and reduce wear compared to some older vehicles precisely because there is a sensor now to prevent heat related damage.

Let me repeat that. This issue WILL NOT leave you stranded.

Yeah i get that it should cool down and work again.
What you disagree with is the verbage leave you stranded.
Or bad spot.
Yeah i think a vehicle shutting down because its overheated is bad. That has to cause wear and tear. Its shutting down because its exceeded a limit.

Well think of it this way if your vehicle has stopped. And your in the
middle of an ascent or decent and the vehicle stops you are stuck in a bad place. Maybe you have never been off road on a mountain in this situation...so you have no clue.
Its a bad spot to stop especially without traction!!!
The manuel also says not to stop in sand. Again stuck in a bad place especially if it overheats in sand.
In both predicaments it will seem as tho your stranded until its works again. So bring a book to read and snacks.
You say it cools off in a couple minutes.
How do you know this?
Five minutes? A half hour?
In what temperature?
These are unknowns as of now.
So how long is a short time to be sitting waiting? An hour?
Then it shuts down again each time for how long?

I am not saying it will never work after cooling down.
Simply pointing out as other essentialposter said the words limitations.
It can go so far. But that limit is not known.

Btw i brought more posts to this topic simply because another poster was dismissing that fact of this occurring.
Blaming drivers.
Instead of talking about the vehicle.

 

[OffTheGrid]

im sure you can find at least one example of every single different type of vehicle that has stopped operating or left the operator “stranded”. This makes owning any vehicle concerning.

What you fail to wrap your worried mind around is that fact that when this vehicle is operated correctly, it will not over heat. The manual that you keep referring to states that when it is operated incorrectly, it will disable certain systems for protection and you can turn engine off and let it cool for a few minutes then when you’re ready to drive it how it was designed to be driven (Not like a mad person pretending it’s a 2/4 door) you can proceed.

The overheating is an issue to be concerned about if you want to be like the one reviewer with this incident and expect it to be the ultimate off-roader. It’s not an issue to be concerned about if you understand it has limitations and you’re not the type of person that need disclaimers written all over a product like forth aim a flame thrower near the gas tank or how to drive a vehicle correctly or this may have more limitations than a 2/4 door bronco. Instead of accusing Ford, after one reviewer’s incident, that their correctly operated vehicle overheats because they didn’t prepare a detailed document explaining every specific driving technique and time limit for every input under each stress level... understand that it’s not the ultimate off road vehicle and although it’s provides great on and off road value, it does have limitations. It’s your responsibility as the user to get to know your vehicle’s limitations before you put yourself in a situation where you might get “stranded”.

Nahhh not worried at all!

I was poking the essentialbeehive because you dont want to admit it sucks these will overheat!

And keep wanting to blame the drivers. Yeah got it read the owners manuel!!!!!
Still its going to happen.
Its a point of how these parts function.
Glad its here on a website so folks cam research about it.
Imo
Its a topic that should be considered . Looking at how they are marketed and depending on people want/need to use the vehicle.
Yes pay attention to this!
To your point they have a limitation. Your just pissed you know what i'm saying is accurate.
But you cant/wont admit its an issue you know people will question, so you try to defend it.
Relax COOL OFF

HERES SOME GOOD NEWS
Apparently it cools down quickly

 

[McBrideless]

Yeah i get that it should cool down and work again.
What you disagree with is the verbage leave you stranded.
Or bad spot.
Yeah i think a vehicle shutting down because its overheated is bad. That has to cause wear and tear. Its shutting down because its exceeded a limit.

Well think of it this way if your vehicle has stopped. And your in the
middle of an ascent or decent and the vehicle stops you are stuck in a bad place. Maybe you have never been off road on a mountain in this situation...so you have no clue.
Its a bad spot to stop especially without traction!!!
The manuel also says not to stop in sand. Again stuck in a bad place especially if it overheats in sand.
In both predicaments it will seem as tho your stranded until its works again. So bring a book to read and snacks.
You say it cools off in a couple minutes.
How do you know this?
Five minutes? A half hour?
In what temperature?
These are unknowns as of now.
So how long is a short time to be sitting waiting? An hour?
Then it shuts down again each time for how long?

I am not saying it will never work after cooling down.
Simply pointing out as other essentialposter said the words limitations.
It can go so far. But that limit is not known.

Btw i brought more posts to this topic simply because another poster was dismissing that fact of this occurring.
Blaming drivers.
Instead of talking about the vehicle.

1. No it doesn’t cause wear and tear. Sensors on modern cars don’t shut it down because the limit has been exceeded. They shut it down because the limit (in this case a temperature limit) is approached and they are preventing wear and tear.
2. If you actually would read the review again you would see that after it shut down she said it cooled down “quickly”, and she was able to proceed less aggressively without any issues. If it shuts down again because you were driving faster like the picture below for a long time, it is 100% the drivers fault.

3. It didn’t shut down because she was on a challenging obstacle. It shut down because she was driving too aggressively for too long in sand mode. If you want a vehicle to do that, get a different vehicle. You wouldn’t blame a sedan for getting stuck on a trail. You would blame the dummy who took their sedan onto a trail. Drive the vehicle as it’s meant to be driven, and you will have no issues. None that we know of from the tests so far anyway.

 

[OffTheGrid]

1. No it doesn’t cause wear and tear. Sensors on modern cars don’t shut it down because the limit has been exceeded. They shut it down because the limit (in this case a temperature limit) is approached and they are preventing wear and tear.
2. If you actually would read the review again you would see that after it shut down she said it cooled down “quickly”, and she was able to proceed less aggressively without any issues. If it shuts down again because you were driving faster like the picture below for a long time, it is 100% the drivers fault.

3. It didn’t shut down because she was on a challenging obstacle. It shut down because she was driving too aggressively for too long in sand mode. If you want a vehicle to do that, get a different vehicle. You wouldn’t blame a sedan for getting stuck on a trail. You would blame the dummy who took their sedan onto a trail. Drive the vehicle as it’s meant to be driven, and you will have no issues. None that we know of from the tests so far anyway.

Yeah thanks for making the point they have limitations.
Thats the frickin point. ??
As to the point of wear and tear thats yet to be determined.

 

[dinglehead]

I bet ya'll are fun at parties.

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