2021 Ford Bronco Sport Issue(s)

[dieu]

First-time poster here. Thought I would combine my observations/issues with the Bronco Sport after 10-months of ownership. Overall, I enjoy the vehicle but there are quality issues that cause one to scratch his/her head. Input is welcome!

• ‘Dimples’ running across door panel window ledges. Do not know how these doors were manufactured or assembled but looks similar to overtightening (see pic).
• Rear liftgate wire harness “beauty plate” pops out every time liftgate is closed (see pic).
• Front left and right wheel well shield's loose. 7mm screws fell out, damaging left side shield. Had to buy a new left-side shield, replacement screws and retighten all remaining screws (see pic).
• 1.5L engine idiosyncratic behavior. In sport mode, during low-speed cruising, engine makes odd whirring, grinding sound. ‘Eco mode’ is sluggish and presents a safety issue when in an intersection or merging into traffic.
• At high-speed highway driving, drivers-side floorboard vibrates under feet, analogous to underbody turbulence.
• Infotainment/screen blacked out/shut down during a long-distance drive, requiring a pullover and vehicle restart.
• Headlights auto feature quirky behavior. Sometimes lights will not shut off automatically, requiring manual cycling through the auto/manual mode. This is a common exercise.
• A minor complaint is the force needed to close the rear liftgate, oftentimes, requiring multiple attempts to clear “rear liftgate open” indicator.
• A minor gripe is that the integrated bottle opener has incorrect dimensions. Angle of bottle opener does not lineup with the angle of the bottle. Almost impossible to use when opening various 8oz bottles. Tailgaters simply used the seatbelt locking latch plate to remove the bottle caps (see pic).

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[RiotfunK]

Can you take a pic further back with the ripples in the door? Is it both sides? Eco mode is like that since it reduces throttle input. The bottle opener you tip the bottle up

 

[dieu]

Yes, its on both sides. I will take additional photos. If you zoom in, you can see the divots. Also, I am pretty sure we were using the opener correctly.

 

[69cuda340s]

I believe the ripples on the top of the doors is from when the panel was stamped and quality control just waived it through. You are not the first to complain about that issue. One person on this forum tried to have dealer fix the ripples and dealer said they were normal and wouldn't do anything.

 

[dieu]

Thank you for your response. Very much appreciated.

 

[Osco]

Yep my 2021 model I picked up in Dec 2020 was perfect. No issues, 22,000 plus miles now and still no issues.
Quality control was excellent while the corporate heads were still at the plant watching things. Looks like as soon as they left the locals started smoking some good Mexican weed before work :’p ‍

 

[RiotfunK]

The ripples are crazy. Looks like it was dropped and then wrinkled the sheet metal. My opener looks the same. Had to go out and look. Your rear hatch latch probs needs to be adjusted to catch better.
Check underneath and see if the felt panels under your floorboard lost a clip and is vibrating at highway speed. I’ve had my screen just go black before and had to start and restart vehicle. The build quality on these are like early Hyundai’s. Some are solid and others have bunch issues.
Like mine the speakers are blown, rattles in the interior galore, Panels all fit funny, misaligned, inside and out, all 90 degree corners have drip overspray that has all chipped off, roof panel above windshield is separating from vehicle, hard clunk shifting into gear anytime is parked even marginally nosed down, can’t pass anyone with vehicle cause it’s trying to pitch you off the road or into the car you’re passing. What I’ve found in 3k miles. My local Ford shop has been good trying to fix things. Ford corporate can eat a peen. They’re awful to deal with. You’re not alone and I feel your pain

 

[Mark S.]

I believe the ripples on the top of the doors is from when the panel was stamped and quality control just waived it through. You are not the first to complain about that issue. One person on this forum tried to have dealer fix the ripples and dealer said they were normal and wouldn't do anything.

Honestly, it looks to me like an installation issue. The sheet metal used for newer cars is far thinner than older cars, and it's really easy to make a dent. Given these ripples look different from car to car, my guess is the installation procedure for either the door panel or the window trim piece requires pressing on the sheet metal in that area, and the installer pushed hard enough to make a dent.

This is the reason I recommend not pushing down on the hood when closing to latch it. Let it drop from a foot or so and it will latch on its own. If you have installed gas struts then push very carefully on the bend in the metal where it curves down in the front. The bend will be more rigid than the flat part, making it more dent resistant.

 

[69cuda340s]

This is the reason I recommend not pushing down on the hood when closing to latch it.

I dented the hood on my '16 F150 by pushing it closed. It was less then year old when that happened. Luckily I found a Paintless Dent Repair guy that was able to straighten it back to perfection. Now I drop the hoods to latch them shut.

 

[bluesoftail]

That is unacceptable, it never should’ve left the plant like that.

 

[brynamic]

At high-speed highway driving, drivers-side floorboard vibrates under feet, analogous to underbody turbulence

Ugh, this one is annoying! I only notice it with cruise control on and my feet are resting on the floor closer to the seat. If I put my left foot up on the dead pedal and right foot up closer to the pedals, I don’t notice it.

 

[tsilveira]

I have those same dimples on the doors of my 2021 Bronco Sport. I also have this annoying noise when I first start my car. At the moment when I depress the brake pedal and push the start button as the engine starts I hear a scratchy, metallic sound that lasts for about 3 seconds. Of course the dealer said there is absolutely nothing wrong. I have a separate post under "tires,wheels, brakes" where I inserted a video with the noise I am talking about. The noise does not happen when I use my remote to start the car. It happens only when I step into the car and depress the brake pedal which leads me to suspect that the noise is due to the electronic parking brake mechanism releasing the brakes.

 

[tsilveira]

And here is the sound that I am referring to. It is at the 3 second mark of the video.

 

[dieu]

I tried to take more pictures of the ripples. Sun and reflection make it difficult. If you zoom in, you can see the indents.
Replaced the front left splash guard. These front splash guards screws keep loosening. Also, the rear tailgate wire harness cover keeps popping out. On a different note, I took my vehicle to the Ford dealership in the body shop manager agreed that the ripples on the door panels are a defect in materials and or workmanship. I can’t imagine a Ford district manager, denying such a claim or request for repair. My concern is tearing the car apart, and having those panels repainted. I think I can live with the dimples, but it’s a matter of principal that Ford would let out this type of garbage to the public.

 

[dieu]

Quick question, although I sound naïve, I was surprised to see that the wheel wells on this Ford bronco sport consists of a liner of felt. In other words, I can see gaps in the wheel well that peer right into the engine cavity. Is this of any benefit or is this strictly cost reduction?

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