Oh oh - Used Ford Bronco Sport SUVs Should Be Avoided: Consumer Reports

[Glamdring70]

I only own a 2021 Bronco Sport so that's what I am most familiar with. I know it's the first MY and I know that common wisdom says avoid first MY on a car. This one breaks the mold. 2021; best option packages, most features, at least as reliable as '22-'24 builds. I've seen the complaints that get posted about the car. Same complaints from '21 are still out there. Whalebrakes. Sync glitched. Hood wobble. 1/5l eats water pumps. If CR is even based on reality, (which I doubt), it's only because newer owners haven't complained as much- yet. Most of 'em don't even know they paid more, only to be missing engine covers, insulation, trim components (folding headrests, etc) and chip-driven features like temp dials. Or they'd be complaining more about it. 2021 is the best year to own. Don't have to believe my opinion, but I don't get paid to have it.

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[bstn rnr]

Before I bought a 2021 Badlands I spoke with my mechanic friend and he told me the motor and transmission in that model were proven technology and should be trouble-free. And it has been at 55,000 miles. The problem with CR is they did not differentiate between the 3 cylinder and the 2.0 in the Badlands.

 

[sajohnson]

Ha! Many predictable replies.

It would be interesting to see how people would respond if CR's opinion were the exact opposite: "The Ford Bronco Sport is the finest, most reliable vehicle ever made! It's a bargain at twice the price!"

<BS owners> "CR is clearly very knowledgeable when it comes to cars and trucks. True professionals. They are the gold standard!"

I agree with whoever said that CR has gone downhill recently. I've been a subscriber for almost 40 years and I'm not happy with some of the changes, but when it comes to objective testing they are still the best.

When we were researching SUVs, before ordering our Badlands, CR had the BS reliability rated very good, 4/5. I think what caused them to drop their rating is all of the recalls. As someone else pointed out, CR lumps all of the trims together. If they separated them into 1.5L and 2.0L trims, the Badlands would probably still have a decent rating.

In any case, I've posted here before that IMO it is a mistake for CR to give so much weight to recalls. Obviously they are a negative, it's best to have none, but many recalls are a) relatively minor, and b) a permanent fix -- as opposed to a random/recurring expensive problem that costs the owner time and money.

My 2002 WRX had multiple recalls, more than the BS. That was a PITA, but all were permanent fixes. It was/is an extremely reliable car, even running Cobb Stage 2 for the last 100K miles (of 205K total).

As for CR's owner surveys, they are of course subjective. They do specifically ask members to exclude problems that were solely due to a recall when reporting issues. However, in my experience, that is not emphasized, so some owners likely do report recall related problems -- even if their vehicle has not had the issue.

CR has it's flaws but continues to do a very good job at objective testing. They have a huge amount of helpful info on a wide range of products. In cases such as this one they are just the messenger. A subscription pays for itself many times over. One expensive purchase like tires is all it takes.

BTW, CR employs engineers and technicians who are 'car guys.' They have a pro race car driver on staff, and people who were in the tire and auto industries. They do have a clue.

 

[Bill G]

What no one except Ford knows is how pervasive the issues are for the 1.5L Bronco Sports, is it 0.001% … 0.1%… 1%… 10%

And the 8F35 Transmission is used across many Ford models and we don’t know how reliable that is

No one knows, only Ford

And, maybe, The Shadow <lol>

 

[DWG]

I have had a subscription to Consumer Reports for many years but that does not mean that I take what they or any other product review (not just automobiles) says as gospel. I read or watch the reviews with the understanding of where they are coming from and take that information with a grain of salt. Some review sites I will totally ignore because they look like an advertisement for the products.

I still believe that Consumer Reports has a bias when its comes to predictive reliability towards foreign cars although in the case of the Ford Bronco Sport it falls in the top half of the class list. Some manufacturers do a better job of initial quality but it is really not until the car has been driven for some miles in real life situations that count. Many problems including rattles (I hate rattles) do not surface until that car has been driven for awhile.

So read or watch all the reviews from all sources and take the information from the reviews with the understanding of where they are coming from when forming a personal opinion about a product you want to purchase. Also understand that even though a product may get great reviews there will always be a percentage of the population that bought that product who had a terrible experience with the product or the customer service of the company that produced the product. Sometimes it is just luck that you get a product that works flawlessly.

 

[Stircrazy]

I only own a 2021 Bronco Sport so that's what I am most familiar with. I know it's the first MY and I know that common wisdom says avoid first MY on a car. This one breaks the mold. 2021; best option packages, most features, at least as reliable as '22-'24 builds. I've seen the complaints that get posted about the car. Same complaints from '21 are still out there. Whalebrakes. Sync glitched. Hood wobble. 1/5l eats water pumps. If CR is even based on reality, (which I doubt), it's only because newer owners haven't complained as much- yet. Most of 'em don't even know they paid more, only to be missing engine covers, insulation, trim components (folding headrests, etc) and chip-driven features like temp dials. Or they'd be complaining more about it. 2021 is the best year to own. Don't have to believe my opinion, but I don't get paid to have it.

what are the "best option packages" that Imissed out on buying a fully loaded 2023, that doesnt have any of the engine issues of the 2021?

 

[sajohnson]

I have had a subscription to Consumer Reports for many years but that does not mean that I take what they or any other product review (not just automobiles) says as gospel. I read or watch the reviews with the understanding of where they are coming from and take that information with a grain of salt. Some review sites I will totally ignore because they look like an advertisement for the products.

I still believe that Consumer Reports has a bias when its comes to predictive reliability towards foreign cars although in the case of the Ford Bronco Sport it falls in the top half of the class list. Some manufacturers do a better job of initial quality but it is really not until the car has been driven for some miles in real life situations that count. Many problems including rattles (I hate rattles) do not surface until that car has been driven for awhile.

So read or watch all the reviews from all sources and take the information from the reviews with the understanding of where they are coming from when forming a personal opinion about a product you want to purchase. Also understand that even though a product may get great reviews there will always be a percentage of the population that bought that product who had a terrible experience with the product or the customer service of the company that produced the product. Sometimes it is just luck that you get a product that works flawlessly.

True.

Decades ago, when it was clear that the Japanese mfrs had the edge on reliability, CR, the dutiful messenger, reported that. Some people who owned domestic vehicles had a meltdown and howled: "CR is just a bunch of 'toaster testers!' They're commies! They've been paid off by Honda and/or Toyota!" It was almost comical. Kinda like parents who lose it if their little angel gets anything less than straight A's. It's clearly the teachers' fault!

I haven't looked recently, but a few years ago, some of CR's most reliable cars were domestic models. Of course, that almost never means 100% made in USA, more like 'in name only' (Ford, GM, Chrysler) but that makes some people happy. Many foreign mfrs have factories here in the US.

CR's reliability ratings are not the opinion of their employees -- they are based on hundreds of thousands of responses to their surveys. Needless to say, those responses are not entirely accurate. Some people emphasize or deemphasize (or forget) problems/issues. With such a large sample size though, they get a pretty clear picture.

When it comes to individual ratings on Amazon and other retailer websites, absolutely, they should be taken with a grain of salt. There's no way of knowing if a review is a) even real, and b) anywhere near accurate. Some owners are fanboys/girls, others have unreasonably high expectations. I always read the 1-star reviews first, to save time.

WRT to CR's test results, they can be given a lot of weight. CR still purchases all vehicles and other products anonymously. They do not accept advertising dollars or corporate contributions. It's impossible to eliminate all bias, but they do a very good job of minimizing it.

One drawback is that they cannot test every vehicle/product for years on end. So they may not catch rattles for example. However, issues like that are reported by the subscribers who respond to the surveys.

CR is not perfect but compared to most of the garbage on the internet there are very few sites that come close. One that comes to mind is the NYT "Wirecutter." They aren't at CR's level, but they seem honest. Another site is DPreview.com for camera reviews and ratings. They are geared toward serious amateur and pro photographers and go into much more detail than CR. I'm sure there are other websites dedicated to a particular product. CR is typically aimed at the average consumer and doesn't get into the weeds. Still, even serious buyers can benefit from going to CR first to get a good overview of available features and side-by-side comparisons to narrow down their choices.

 

[Jmuns]

what are the "best option packages" that Imissed out on buying a fully loaded 2023, that doesnt have any of the engine issues of the 2021?

You have an Outer Banks. You’re just as likely to have the engine issues that the MY21 does because it’s the same 1.5L engine.

The features they got rid of he mentioned. Folding headrests, temp dials were missing the digital readouts for a while, engine covers gone, missing plastic panels inside, hotspots gone, etc

MY21 also packaged more into the trims and packages than they do now. You basically just got them all instead of having to add them item for item. You got more for less.

 

[DWG]

True.

Decades ago, when it was clear that the Japanese mfrs had the edge on reliability, CR, the dutiful messenger, reported that. Some people who owned domestic vehicles had a meltdown and howled: "CR is just a bunch of 'toaster testers!' They're commies! They've been paid off by Honda and/or Toyota!" It was almost comical. Kinda like parents who lose it if their little angel gets anything less than straight A's. It's clearly the teachers' fault!

I haven't looked recently, but a few years ago, some of CR's most reliable cars were domestic models. Of course, that almost never means 100% made in USA, more like 'in name only' (Ford, GM, Chrysler) but that makes some people happy. Many foreign mfrs have factories here in the US.

CR's reliability ratings are not the opinion of their employees -- they are based on hundreds of thousands of responses to their surveys. Needless to say, those responses are not entirely accurate. Some people emphasize or deemphasize (or forget) problems/issues. With such a large sample size though, they get a pretty clear picture.

When it comes to individual ratings on Amazon and other retailer websites, absolutely, they should be taken with a grain of salt. There's no way of knowing if a review is a) even real, and b) anywhere near accurate. Some owners are fanboys/girls, others have unreasonably high expectations. I always read the 1-star reviews first, to save time.

WRT to CR's test results, they can be given a lot of weight. CR still purchases all vehicles and other products anonymously. They do not accept advertising dollars or corporate contributions. It's impossible to eliminate all bias, but they do a very good job of minimizing it.

One drawback is that they cannot test every vehicle/product for years on end. So they may not catch rattles for example. However, issues like that are reported by the subscribers who respond to the surveys.

CR is not perfect but compared to most of the garbage on the internet there are very few sites that come close. One that comes to mind is the NYT "Wirecutter." They aren't at CR's level, but they seem honest. Another site is DPreview.com for camera reviews and ratings. They are geared toward serious amateur and pro photographers and go into much more detail than CR. I'm sure there are other websites dedicated to a particular product. CR is typically aimed at the average consumer and doesn't get into the weeds. Still, even serious buyers can benefit from going to CR first to get a good overview of available features and side-by-side comparisons to narrow down their choices.

LOl. I go to the 1 star reviews first also but even then I am looking at what they are complaining about. A lot of times like you said they have high expectations or it looks like they weren't using the product correctly and when it didn't work as they expected they blame the product.

 

[sajohnson]

LOl. I go to the 1 star reviews first also but even then I am looking at what they are complaining about. A lot of times like you said they have high expectations or it looks like they weren't using the product correctly and when it didn't work as they expected they blame the product.

Exactly! I disregard the 1-star reviews like:

* The box was damaged
* Delivery was late
* Wrong color
* Obvious 'operator error'
* Bad product! (short, not specific)
* Don't buy this, get XYZ product instead

That last one could be legit, it's hard to say. Sometimes people are trying to be helpful, but they could be trying to divert sales to a competitor.

Sometimes reviews are for a different product. If it's just 1 or 2 reviews I figure the reviewer was confused, but in some cases it's as if Amazon (or other retailer) made a mistake.

In any case, after those N/A reviews are set aside I read the ones that are a 'verified purchase' and relatively detailed. In particular I look for reviews that seem to be written by a technician or engineer.

In addition to comments about the product, I pay particular attention to any experiences with customer service. That can definitely be a tie-breaker. There are still decent companies out there, but it's very common to read that customer service would not answer phone calls and/or reply to emails. If the reviewer did eventually contact a CSR, they were to that they had to pay for return shipping and a hefty "restocking fee" -- even though the return was no fault of their own (like a DOA product). Some of the stories are outrageous. I try very hard to avoid companies like that.

Anyway, I imagine that you read the 1-star reviews first for the same reason I do -- it saves time. There's no point in reading the positive reviews first if the negative reviews are terrible.

I get the impression that many people just look at the totals -- the percentages of the 1>5 star reviews. The majority of products have a much higher percentage of 4/5-star reviews than 1/2-star reviews. Some, deservedly so. Most of the negative reviews may be N/A. In other cases, that 4-5% of 1/2-star reviews is brutal. It doesn't matter what the positive reviews say, I'm not buying that product.

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