Few things I’ve noticed

[chipearly]

1st time posting and thought I’d chime in. I’ve got the 22 big bend that I want to like but some issues on build quality.
I’ve got the water pump issue that I need to find the time to get taken care of.
after giving it a good cleaning this weekend I was shocked to see how many small divets are in the windshield. I’ve got the deflector, just need a warm day to install it.
also noticed both weatherstrips on the rear are leaking water for the hatchback and the rear glass. So I plan to have both of these replaced as well.
this could be a reason some have had the rear window shatter, if it isn’t sealing against the seal well, it could be seeing a lot of vibration.

Sponsored

 

[Chiefthepup]

I also have a 22 big bend. What weee your symptoms for the water pump issue? Luckily I’ve had nothing you describe. I’m at 9k miles currently tho

 

[chipearly]

I also have a 22 big bend. What weee your symptoms for the water pump issue? Luckily I’ve had nothing you describe. I’m at 9k miles currently tho

Slow coolant leak. Very common for the 22’s

 

[magicbus]

I just saw on another thread that they are producing over 400 Bronco Sports /day and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how you do that with real QC. Makes me glad I was an early order where they were still trying hard to work out kinks and make a good impression. Mine sat in production for 9 days, I presume to fix something. Knock wood, coming up on 3 years and so far so good.

 

[RushMan]

I just saw on another thread that they are producing over 400 Bronco Sports /day and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how you do that with real QC. Makes me glad I was an early order where they were still trying hard to work out kinks and make a good impression. Mine sat in production for 9 days, I presume to fix something. Knock wood, coming up on 3 years and so far so good.

"In Production" does not mean being assembled. The first day of "In Production" is when the order is sent from corporate to the factory. Actual assembly commences about 7-9 days after status changes to "In Production." Actual assembly time is about 1-3 days. When status changes to released, it may sit for awhile before it is loaded on a train car, or OTR carrier. My own order went "In Production" November 29, 2023, but assembly began on Dec. 9th. It was shipped Dec. 12, and reached my dealer 4 weeks later, January 9th.

 

[RogueRodney]

BS'ers:

I've got a 2023 BS Badlands with less than 10K on it (think 9.9 now). Anyway, I had no issues for 11 months, it was awesome and then a significant electrical issue that caused it to spend 3 weeks in the shop while they were troubleshooting. I confess I was crushed and despaired of getting "my vehicle" back the way it was.

I can say that the dealership did a great job in troubleshooting and resolving the electrical concern, for the last 5 weeks or so I've not had any concerns (I know dooming myself).

I believe for anything as complex as moden automobiles we're likely going to see concerns with build quality and quality control, hell I debated looking at a LR Defender, but their quality is supposed to be poor, I might be able to afford the vehicle, but the cost of maintenance and distance to dealership would have killed me.

I will say that from what I've seen/heard on the forums, the smaller engine Sports seem to have more problems. Though some are shared like the poor quality of the windsheild and how easy it is to break.

I'll also say that from what I've heard and just the feeling I get the build quality of the sport is superior to the big Bronco.

Alot of my aftermarket electronics (ambient lighting, rock lights, off road lighting that I maybe turn on for 30 seconds once a month), was done by a local chain called Car Toys. The lead tech mentioned that he had worked in the Big Broncos and was shocked at how poor their quality control was and mentioned that he thought the quality of the Bronco Sports he had seen (at that time) was superior.

I guess what I'm saying is, no mass produced car is imune to these concerns, Tesla has huge recalls frequently, etc. Maybe Japanese manufacturers have fewer, but they have their concerns to.

What does "bother" me about the Bronco Sport is how damned good the vehicle is, and how I feel that "corners were cut" on nonsensical items that really will keep it from becoming the legend of its namesake. The thin metal on the hood and roof, the almost comical cheapness of the window controls on the door, just infuriate me. I believe the tire size limitation was likely something known and allowed, etc.

I pulled up at a stop light right next to one of the original Broncos (I don't know the model, but it wasn't something that had been rebuilt from what I could see, just something that had been taken care of), and I knew that there is almost no way that my ride would be on the road as long as and hold up as well as that beauty....

Just my random thoughts why I work on a Sunday...

Happy Trails Friends,

RR

 

[Chiefthepup]

BS'ers:

I've got a 2023 BS Badlands with less than 10K on it (think 9.9 now). Anyway, I had no issues for 11 months, it was awesome and then a significant electrical issue that caused it to spend 3 weeks in the shop while they were troubleshooting. I confess I was crushed and despaired of getting "my vehicle" back the way it was.

I can say that the dealership did a great job in troubleshooting and resolving the electrical concern, for the last 5 weeks or so I've not had any concerns (I know dooming myself).

I believe for anything as complex as moden automobiles we're likely going to see concerns with build quality and quality control, hell I debated looking at a LR Defender, but their quality is supposed to be poor, I might be able to afford the vehicle, but the cost of maintenance and distance to dealership would have killed me.

I will say that from what I've seen/heard on the forums, the smaller engine Sports seem to have more problems. Though some are shared like the poor quality of the windsheild and how easy it is to break.

I'll also say that from what I've heard and just the feeling I get the build quality of the sport is superior to the big Bronco.

Alot of my aftermarket electronics (ambient lighting, rock lights, off road lighting that I maybe turn on for 30 seconds once a month), was done by a local chain called Car Toys. The lead tech mentioned that he had worked in the Big Broncos and was shocked at how poor their quality control was and mentioned that he thought the quality of the Bronco Sports he had seen (at that time) was superior.

I guess what I'm saying is, no mass produced car is imune to these concerns, Tesla has huge recalls frequently, etc. Maybe Japanese manufacturers have fewer, but they have their concerns to.

What does "bother" me about the Bronco Sport is how damned good the vehicle is, and how I feel that "corners were cut" on nonsensical items that really will keep it from becoming the legend of its namesake. The thin metal on the hood and roof, the almost comical cheapness of the window controls on the door, just infuriate me. I believe the tire size limitation was likely something known and allowed, etc.

I pulled up at a stop light right next to one of the original Broncos (I don't know the model, but it wasn't something that had been rebuilt from what I could see, just something that had been taken care of), and I knew that there is almost no way that my ride would be on the road as long as and hold up as well as that beauty....

Just my random thoughts why I work on a Sunday...

Happy Trails Friends,

RR

Just out of curiosity, did they ever give you a clear diagnosis on what exactly caused your electrical issue or what it was?

 

[RogueRodney]

Hey Chiefthepup:

Not really, I'm a data analyst and honestly have learned more about cars since getting the Sport than I had known my entire life before hand.

From what I can tell this "generic electrical problem" where it says something about the charge system can be related to like 1 of 6 things (or maybe a combo).

I believe the dealership replaced the alternator, the timing belt, and various other things, after reading some reviews, I purchased a new battery Optima A battery that someone else on here posted and I had them drop that in.

In short, they/I replaced about 4 things...

Wish I could be more specific, but it does seem to have solved the issue.

RR

 

[NoOneHereYet]

Hey Chiefthepup:

Not really, I'm a data analyst and honestly have learned more about cars since getting the Sport than I had known my entire life before hand.

From what I can tell this "generic electrical problem" where it says something about the charge system can be related to like 1 of 6 things (or maybe a combo).

I believe the dealership replaced the alternator, the timing belt, and various other things, after reading some reviews, I purchased a new battery Optima A battery that someone else on here posted and I had them drop that in.

In short, they/I replaced about 4 things...

Wish I could be more specific, but it does seem to have solved the issue.

RR

I also have a 2023 Badlands, and FWIW I know a few others with a mix of Big Bend and Badlands, every single one that leaves the auto start/stop turned on has had some form of electrical or battery issue. Ironically it seems leaving the start/stop on and driving short (under 10-15 miles) repeatedly that seems to be the cause of many of these issues. Those that have had the issue replaced the battery with an aftermarket, not warranty replacement and disabled the start/stop on short trips and seem to have been good since.

The issues seem to be much more prominent in the 1.5L than the 2.0L

 

[Mark S.]

...every single one that leaves the auto start/stop turned on has had some form of electrical or battery issue....

I have nearly 22K on mine; the Auto Stop/Start has never been disabled, and I do not have any battery/electrical issues.

 

[NoOneHereYet]

I have nearly 22K on mine; the Auto Stop/Start has never been disabled, and I do not have any battery/electrical issues.

It's been a regular recurring topic here as well, glad it hasn't been an issue for you though. But it has been brought up a bunch even here on the forums, check in these threads

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/battery-dead.8306/

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/possible-battery-electrical-issue.8411/

 

[Mark S.]

It's been a regular recurring topic here as well, glad it hasn't been an issue for you though. But it has been brought up a bunch even here on the forums, check in these threads

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/battery-dead.8306/

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/possible-battery-electrical-issue.8411/

I don't dispute that people are having battery issues, I'm disputing the claim that the Auto Stop/Start system is the cause. Problems with that system seem to be an early indicator of battery problems, but I don't believe there is any data suggesting it is CAUSING those battery problems.

There's no question that Auto Stop/Start systems place a heavier load on batteries, but that is not evidence the system is destroying batteries. Indeed, many who've reported battery issues have no further issues after replacing the battery. This suggests--to me--a battery quality issue rather than a malfunction of the Auto Stop/Start system.

 

[rms34208]

1st time posting and thought I’d chime in. I’ve got the 22 big bend that I want to like but some issues on build quality.
I’ve got the water pump issue that I need to find the time to get taken care of.
after giving it a good cleaning this weekend I was shocked to see how many small divets are in the windshield. I’ve got the deflector, just need a warm day to install it.
also noticed both weatherstrips on the rear are leaking water for the hatchback and the rear glass. So I plan to have both of these replaced as well.
this could be a reason some have had the rear window shatter, if it isn’t sealing against the seal well, it could be seeing a lot of vibration.

Concerning the battery concerns…… check out the you tube video from Ford expert mechanic Macculato. He personally drives an F150 and addresses the issues by pointing out that even himself does not drive a long enough distance to his shop to fully charge/recharge his battery. He placed his battery on a tester and it was discharged to less than 10% . Because of my short hops and his suggestion I take my Sport out at least once per week for at least one hour driving time. I shut the interior lights and drive light off . The issue for us short hops is the computer drains the battery especially if it is Sync 4. One last item is because my BB is a 3 cylinder engine I reduce my speed upon entry to my subdivision to allow my engine to cool down, also a suggestion from mechanics as the temperature in modern engines is much hotter and by cooling the oil down some it assists the engine with lubrication . I am not a mechanic but have done the research on this 1.5 Ltd Dragon engine and plan on only using Full Synthetic oil and changing it at a max of 4000 miles to reduce carbon build up in the valves. Also every 4 th fill up will be non ethanol fuel. Good luck , I have less than 3000 miles entering my 4 th month of service with no issues except the thin Paint.

 

[Bucko]

I have nearly 22K on mine; the Auto Stop/Start has never been disabled, and I do not have any battery/electrical issues.

Mom always did like you more.....

 

[wireman]

I just saw on another thread that they are producing over 400 Bronco Sports /day and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how you do that with real QC. Makes me glad I was an early order where they were still trying hard to work out kinks and make a good impression. Mine sat in production for 9 days, I presume to fix something. Knock wood, coming up on 3 years and so far so good.

If you've ever been an RV owner like myself, QC is non existent in that segment. You better know how to work on things, otherwise your RV could be in the shop for months being repaired.

They sell them, but can't repair them in a timely manner for various reasons.

The U.S. auto industry has come a long way, but it continues to have issues, Ford leads the way.

As these vehicles become more complex and ad tech features, more problems will come up.

I think they sometimes rush features into production, just to keep up with other manufacturers.

Sponsored