The Ford Bronco, including both the full-size Bronco and the smaller Bronco Sport, has faced several transmission issues spanning from hardware defects to major safety recalls.
Owning a Ford Bronco should not mean keeping notes on warning lights, planning your week around service appointments, or wondering whether the dealership can actually fix the problem this time. When the same problem with your Bronco keeps interrupting your day-to-day life, it can start to feel like you are managing the vehicle instead of driving it.
For many California Bronco owners, that is the point where a frustrating repair history may become something worth discussing with a lemon law lawyer. California Lemon Law Group has over 21 years of experience and a 100% success rate.
Common 10-Speed Automatic (10R60/10R80) Complaints
Owners of full-size Broncos often contact us about performance complaints regarding the electronic 10-speed automatic transmission:
Harsh or Delayed Shifting: Aggressive clunking, violent jerking forward, or slipping when shifting between lower gears (specifically 1st through 3rd).
Acceleration Lag: A persistent delay or revving without power delivery during stop-and-go driving or when trying to merge rapidly.
Ford’s 10-speed 10R80 has been plagued by reliability and shift issues since it was first introduced in the 2017 model year F-150. The 10R60 came later than the 10R80 and first appeared in the 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator.
The Ford F-150 10-speed transmission has a long history of complaints, but replacing a transmission architecture across the F-150 lineup would be extremely expensive. The main complaints we’re hearing about are that it shifts too hard, gets stuck in gear, or struggles to find a gear.
7-Speed Manual (Bronco) and 8-Speed Automatic (Bronco Sport) Issues
Full-size 7-Speed manual transmission owners have reported premature failure of the clutch slave cylinder and an uncharacteristic “gravelly” or scraping metal sound coming from the transmission casing at cold start/idle.
The smaller Bronco Sport’s 8F35 8-Speed automatic transmission, shared with several other Ford/Lincoln models, has Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) and Special Service Messages (SSMs) addressing stuck or sluggish shift solenoids and fluid flow errors that can cause flutter or shudder during upshifts, hard shifting, or delayed engagement.
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Safety Defects and Recalls
INCORRECTLY MACHINED TRANSMISSION VALVE
An incorrectly machined transmission valve can cause your SUV to experience reverse gear failure or move forward while in reverse or neutral. This increases the risk of a crash. Affected Ford vehicles include:
NHTSA Safety Issue ID: 25V164
Full Ford filing document (PDF)
TRANSMISSION-TO-TRANSFER CASE MISALIGNMENT
This recall covers select 2021-2025 full-size Broncos where a previous service repair left the joint between the transmission and the transfer case misaligned. This can trigger a total loss of drive power or rollaway when parked.
NHTSA Safety Issue ID: 26V236
Full Ford filing document: Safety Recall Report 26V236 (PDF)
12-VOLT BATTERY DETECTION ISSUE
Ford issued Recall 24S24 (NHTSA Campaign 24V267000) on April 17, 2024. This recall, involving body and powertrain control modules that failed to detect a sudden drop in 12-volt battery charge, covered about 403,000 model-year Bronco Sport SUVs built between February 2020 and March 2024. The drop in battery charge could cause stalling, failure to restart, or loss of electrical accessories, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix was a free dealer software recalibration. According to an article posted on autoevolution.com, a November 2024 quality audit later found that about 4% of the recalled vehicles had not actually received the required updates, despite being recorded as fixed.
3 Ways a Recall Can Move a Lemon Law Claim Forward
Establishes Material Defects
A recall serves as an admission by the manufacturer that a widespread component, such as a transmission, poses a safety risk or a functional defect.
Counts as a Repair Attempt
Every time you bring your Ford Bronco to a certified Ford dealer to fix the same underlying defect, that counts as an official repair attempt. Each repair attempt must be documented with a written repair order.
Proves Safety Hazards
Serious recalls, like a rollaway or unexpected forward movement, satisfy the legal requirement that the defect substantially impairs vehicle safety.
Steer Clear of These Key Mistakes
Do Not Delay Service: Failing to bring your vehicle in after receiving an official recall notice can weaken your claim, as Ford may argue you failed to mitigate the vehicle’s damage.
Do Not Leave the Service Department Without Detailed Repair Orders: Ensure the service advisor explicitly documents your specific complaints. If it’s a transmission complaint (e.g., “jerking,” “slipping”) make sure that’s written on the paperwork, rather than just the recall code.
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