Ford Dropping Universal Remote for Bronco Sport

[fordvideoguy]

I went over all the changes to the 2026 Bronco Sport last October in a video if you want to see the complete list of changes.



If you don't want to watch the video, here are my notes I used for the video:

Colors
Added Space White
Added Orange Fury (NA Bronze Pkgs)
Removed Eruption Green
Removed Desert Sand
Ruby Red (NA Bronze Pkgs)

New Packages
Ford Connectivity Package
-Unlimited Wi-Fi Hotspot
-Audio and Video Streaming
-Entertainment
-Voice Assistant
Ford Connectivity Package One Time Purchase
SiriusXM with 360L - 3 Year Plan

DIOs
Added Console Safe
Added Tool Kit
Note: Not available with Assistance Kit, On-Road, Assistance Kit, Off-Road, and Liftgate Privacy Curtain
Added Vent Wheel Arch Moldings
Note: Not available with Black Appearance Package Package (67G), Front and Rear Splash Guards (63B), Power Moonroof (17B), and Mudflaps Kit Front & Rear
Added Wheel Locks
Added Windshield Sunscreen
Added Base Lighting Package
Added GB-40 Battery Jump Starter

Big Bend
Changed Digital Cluster from 12.3” to 8”
Removed the Flood Light Adjustable - Liftgate
Added Ford Security Package (1 Year with Activation)
Removed Evasive Steering Assist
Added Ford Connectivity Package (1 Year Included)
Added some SYNC4 features
-Alexa Built-In
-Information on Demand
-OTA Updates
Removed Wireless Charging Pad

Black Diamond Package Changes
Removed Steel Plate on Rear Bumper with Recovery Hooks
Removed Cargo Mat
Removed Cargo Management System
Removed Fender Tie-Downs
Removed Interior Grab Handle
Removed Seatback Rubberized Mats

Added Bronze Package
• Bronze Badges
• Door Handles – Body Color
• Fender Vent (Bronze)
• Grille – Ebony Black with Bronze “BRONCO™” Lettering
• Painted Shadow Black Roof
Note: Not available with Shadow Black (G1)
• Seats
– Front Driver/Passenger Seat Back Map Pockets
– Sport Contour Buckets
– Premium Trimmed with Bronze Stitching
• All Weather Floor Liners with Bronze Accents
• Cargo Mat with Bronze Accents
• Steering Wheel – Premium Wrapped with Canyon (Bronze) Stitching
• 17” Sinister Bronze-painted Aluminum Wheel
• 225/65R17 102H All-Season (A/S) BSW Tire
Note: Not available with Black Diamond Off-Road Package (67C), Black Appearance Package (67G),
Elevation Graphic Package (85G), or 18 ” Dark Gravity Gray-painted Aluminum Wheel (64M), or Topo
Graphic Package (85C)
Note: Not available with Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat (NL), or Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat (RR)
Note: Includes Heated Seat and 8-way driver seat (when the Convenience Package is selected).
Note: Deletes Front Carpeted Floor Mat

Bronze + Black Diamond Off-Road Package
• Bronze Badges
• Door Handles – Body Color
• Fender Vent (Bronze)
• Grille – Ebony Black with Bronze “BRONCO™” Lettering
• Painted Shadow Black Roof
Note:Not available with Shadow Black (G1)
• Seats
– Front Driver/Passenger Seat Back Map Pockets
– Sport Contour Buckets
– Premium Trimmed with Bronze Stitching
• All Weather Floor Liners with Bronze Accents
• Cargo Mat with Bronze Accents
• Steering Wheel – Premium Wrapped with Canyon (Bronze) Stitching
• 17” Sinister Bronze-painted Aluminum Wheel
• 225/65R17 A/T B Tire
Note: Included as option in Black Diamond Off-Road Package (67C)
Note: Not available with Black Appearance Package (67G), Elevation Graphic Package (85G), or 18” Dark
Gravity Gray-painted Aluminum Wheel (64M) or Topo Graphic Package (85C)
Note: Not available with Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat (NL) or Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat (RR)
Note: Deletes 17” Carbonized Gray-Painted Aluminum Wheel included in the Black Daimond Off-Road
Package (67C) and Front Carpeted Floor Mats
Note: Includes Heated Seat (BY1AL) and 8-way driver seat (when the Convenience Package is selected).

Convenience Package
Removed Universal Garage Door Opener
Added Flood Light Adjustable - Liftgate

Black Appearance Package
Removed Smoked Chrome Ford Oval

Options
Added Fender Tie Downs (Req Black Diamond Package)
Added Rear Recovery Kit (Req Black Diamond Package)
-Steel Plate Bumpers with Recovery Hooks
Added 17” Carbonized Gray Aluminum Wheel (included in Black Diamond Package)
-Late Availability in 2025
Added 18” Dark Gravity Gray-painted Aluminum Wheel
-Not available with Black Appearance, Bronze Appearance, Black Diamond Package
Removed 18” Machine-face Aluminum Ebony Black-painted Wheel

Outer Banks
Changed Door Handles from Body-Color to Molded-in-Color
Removed Rain Sensing Wipers
Changed the Digital Cluster from 12.3” to 8”
Removed Universal Garage Door Opener

Sasquatch Package
Removed Fender Tie Downs
Added 12.3” Cluster Display
Removed Interior Grab Handle
Added One Pedal Drive to Trail Control

Options
Added Fender Tie Downs (Req Sasquatch Package)

Heritage Edition
Convenience Package
Remove Universal Garage Door Opener

Badlands
Removed Interior Grab Handle
Connectivity Package adds Connected Navigation
Removed Universal Garage Door Opener

Badlands Sasquatch Package
Removed Brush Guard
Removed Fender Tie Downs

Options
Added Front Brush Guard with Recovery Hooks (Req Sasquatch Package)
Added Fender Tie Downs (Req Sasquatch Package)

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[OBSASQ]

What's a company to do? Half the people say cars are too expensive, quit putting in more and more stuff. Other half say cars are getting too expensive, put in more stuff.
GM is dropping Apple Carplay and possibly Android Auto. And it is too expensive and cumbersome to add every little item as an option, they stopped that decades ago in favor of packages.
Some states have wipers and lights on during rain so manufacturers are making it easier to comply.
Why does everybody need to have the Ford keypad when most don't use it? And it is a notice to thieves at pools and beaches that somebody probably left their fobs inside so let's break the window and steal it.
Who uses a push button garage door opener? I just say "Alexa open the garage door".

 

[Garth]

I find rain sensing wipers a hit and miss item. When they work its nice but mine seem to take over the intermittent process completely and I cant set speeds manually. I would turn that feature off when I get forscan.

I actually just found the switch on the screen to turn them off.

 

[Stircrazy]

You are correct … on the ’21-‘24s the charge pad is about 3.6w and sliding around on the pad and the phones case is going to reduce the effective charging and of course heat is generated as that’s how the charging works

But I don’t understand your point about plugging in the USB cable and using the charge pad simultaneously… the phone (iPhones for sure and most likely androids as well) will charge via the USB Cable when plugged in and will ignore the charge pad (heat might still be generated) … the phone never uses both methods simultaneously to charge (at least iPhones don’t)

When plugged in, the instructions state do not put the phone on top the charge pad


Personally I do the same as you with my iPhone… it’s plugged in and never is on the charge pad (I have a 2022)

well when plugged in the only good place to place the phone is amazingly, on the charge pad haha.

I like the phone being there, I just wish it was a simple setting to turn it off. I was talking to the service manage at my ford and he is going to look into it. he figured I could just turn off the modual in forscan if I wanted to try it myself, I would have to find the name of the modual he wront down for me again before I go looking though..

wether an android phone is pluged in and ignoring the charge or not, thats not the issue, even if it ignores the charge, but the charge pad still sences somthing metalic on it and turns on, now you basicly have a low power induction burner going under your phone and any metal will warm up. I was surprised how warm my phone would actualy get, it would start closing down apps and the screen and so on.

I never new what was going on untill android auto shut down one day. mind you my daily commute is a hour each way so it doesnt shut down on that one, just gets warm and will stop the USB charging also because it gets to warm. If it is on there for a while say 2 hours into a trip is when it starts shutting down android and other apps. it was just blind luck that I found that if I just moved it right of the charge pad, all the issue went away.

I would suspect that most of the people that like it are doing like you said and just using bluetooth, or are only doing short drives, say 30min or less so they are not seeing any issues

 

[Stircrazy]

I actually just found the switch on the screen to turn them off.

its not just a position of the wiper control that turns it on or off in the new ones?

 

[Dude]

well when plugged in the only good place to place the phone is amazingly, on the charge pad haha.

I like the phone being there, I just wish it was a simple setting to turn it off. I was talking to the service manage at my ford and he is going to look into it. he figured I could just turn off the modual in forscan if I wanted to try it myself, I would have to find the name of the modual he wront down for me again before I go looking though..

wether an android phone is pluged in and ignoring the charge or not, thats not the issue, even if it ignores the charge, but the charge pad still sences somthing metalic on it and turns on, now you basicly have a low power induction burner going under your phone and any metal will warm up. I was surprised how warm my phone would actualy get, it would start closing down apps and the screen and so on.

I never new what was going on untill android auto shut down one day. mind you my daily commute is a hour each way so it doesnt shut down on that one, just gets warm and will stop the USB charging also because it gets to warm. If it is on there for a while say 2 hours into a trip is when it starts shutting down android and other apps. it was just blind luck that I found that if I just moved it right of the charge pad, all the issue went away.

I would suspect that most of the people that like it are doing like you said and just using bluetooth, or are only doing short drives, say 30min or less so they are not seeing any issues

I do agree with you some phones like yours and mine do get warm sitting on the charge pad and there’s also an annoying message I see when the phone moves off and back onto the charge pad

Some owners posted there’s a fuse that when removed shuts off the charge pad so if that is acceptable it might work

However there is an easy solution I use: I found 3 other equally amazing places that don’t include resting the phone on the charge pad

 

[Stircrazy]

I do agree with you some phones like yours and mine do get warm sitting on the charge pad and there’s also an annoying message I see when the phone moves off and back onto the charge pad

Some owners posted there’s a fuse that when removed shuts off the charge pad so if that is acceptable it might work

However there is an easy solution I use: I found 3 other equally amazing places that don’t include resting the phone on the charge pad

ya I have hear of people putting alumium foil under the mat, I believe the fuse disables some other things also and that is why I decided not to do that, but I would have to check again. I bought a short cable so I could have it in the cubby with out a bunch of cable haning out so I do want to keep it there. I just upgraded my forscan cord to the newer recomended one so I will have to take a look and see what I can find.

the other issue with that charg pad area is if you put anything metal in there it will activate and start heating it up, they say not to put your wallet on it either.. so if you don't use it for a phone it is almost wasted storage space..

1st world problems eh

 

[dwrufus53]

ya I have hear of people putting alumium foil under the mat, I believe the fuse disables some other things also and that is why I decided not to do that, but I would have to check again. I bought a short cable so I could have it in the cubby with out a bunch of cable haning out so I do want to keep it there. I just upgraded my forscan cord to the newer recomended one so I will have to take a look and see what I can find.

the other issue with that charg pad area is if you put anything metal in there it will activate and start heating it up, they say not to put your wallet on it either.. so if you don't use it for a phone it is almost wasted storage space..

1st world problems eh

Perhaps lining the space with some thick-ish insulating material - like foam rubber pad would allow you to reclaim the space?

 

[Bill G]

Posted this before, but here it is again . . . Lay phone on pad face down; it won’t activate charger, so can even be wired for charging. Unless you need to see the screen this solves the storage and charging problem, and I think “all“ phone functions can be accessed from the infotainment screen.

 

[Nickadeamus]

From the 2021 models up to 2026, a lot of things have been removed. But the price never went down. This is wrong. But this is how it is done now a days. It is not just ford, they all do stuff like this. I would love to have something that does not have all the junk I don't use in it. I just want plan old cruse-control, a radio, A/C, and if you are going to give me a screen then I want a GPS receiver in it, not apple or android auto. I don't need all the other thing, and the price tag that go's with it. A tail light should not cost $500 or more (for just the part) to replace.

 

[dwrufus53]

From the 2021 models up to 2026, a lot of things have been removed. But the price never went down. This is wrong. But this is how it is done now a days. It is not just ford, they all do stuff like this. I would love to have something that does not have all the junk I don't use in it. I just want plan old cruse-control, a radio, A/C, and if you are going to give me a screen then I want a GPS receiver in it, not apple or android auto. I don't need all the other thing, and the price tag that go's with it. A tail light should not cost $500 or more (for just the part) to replace.

It's the auto industry's version of "shrinflation". Like the bag of potato chips that used to be $2.99 for 8 ounces is now $3.49 for 6 ounces.

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