Owners have filed 150 complaints on the Ford Bronco II, covering 1984–1990. The system named most often is Electrical System (34 reports). Worst years by volume: 1988, 1989, 1987; cleanest: 1984, 1985, 1990. 19 reports describe a crash, 50 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 9.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Bronco II
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 150 Bronco II complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 34 Read
Upon imapct, vehicle bursted into flames. Manufacturer has been notified
The alternator caused the truck to catch on fire. Please explain. Tt
My last two alternators burst into flames. The mechanic who changed the last one said that he "has replaced hundreds" in the last ten years
Engine And Engine Cooling 25 Read
After trying to start the vehicle 3 times the vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment. Cause unknown. Please describe details
An exhaust leak melted plastic fuel lines and started fire under vehicle burning lines and all electrical wireing under vehicle, thus causing shorting of many relays in engine compartment
Engine compartment fire; after hard start, drove approximately 100 yds, turned off engine, turned on again, heard loud pop. Underhood on driver's side engulfed with flames, no prior warning; reported by father of owner
Fuel System 17 Read
Fuel pump failed, causing vehicle fire
Fuel line ruptured and vehicle caught on fire
Vehicle caught fire after stalling due to possible leak in fuel lines
Power Train 11 Read
Axle broke, causing loss of control/accident/rollover/injuries
While driving 40mph, the truck shifted and then the vehicle rolledover and ejected the driver out of the seat, which at the time the seat belt locking clip came apart
Transmission failed while traveling on a five lane highway while in the middle lane
Seat Belts 11 Read
The consumer had an accident and the seat belt didn't catch, causing him to hurt his back. Please describe
The rear driver's side seat belt buckles locked up on a 4-year old. The belt had to be cut off. Ford refuses to do anything
The drivers side seatbelt will not retract and will not restrain in an accident. Please describe. Tt
Structure 10 Read
We were driving the speed limit, came around a curve on hwy 86, hit loose gravel and lost control.....we rolled the vehicle once(landing on our top). As soon as the bronco 2 started to roll over, the top of the cab started buckling like an aluminum soda can...the result was the driver side being smashed about two…
Back door flew off during collision, causing child to be thrown through back door/resulting in injury
88 ford bronco ii roll over
Service Brakes 9 Read
When consumer started up vehicle, it went into 100% acceleration with foot on the brake. Vehicle hit a tree which was (60) feet away
While traveling at approximately 25 mph and making a left turn, consumer applied brakes and crossed over a patch of sand with the wheel turned, causing a rollover. Roof of vehicle collapsed in front, injuring driver, compound break of collar bone and other minor injuries. Please provide any additional…
While driving at 20mph driver hit tree to stop because brakes failed. Tt
Vehicle Speed Control 9 Read
404-261-7770,wk no., cruise control stuck and vehicle went open throttle position lost control hit enbankment impact 12:00 position speed unknown. Tt
Vehicle lunged forward while in park when first starting out, narrowly missing a person, and hitting a brick wall. Please describe details
While driving applied the brakes and truck accelerated/locked up, causing the truck to hit a fence, that was the only way that the truck would stop. *ak
Bronco II years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Electrical System | 1 | 2 | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 3 | 9 | |
| 1988 | Electrical System | 7 | 11 | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | 4 | 9 | |
| 1986 | Electrical System | 4 | 11 | |
| 1985 | Electrical System | — | 3 | |
| 1984 | Electrical System | — | 5 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 107 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 9.2 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 5. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Bronco II?
By complaint volume, 1988, 1989, 1987 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Bronco II years are the cleanest?
1984, 1985, 1990 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Bronco II have?
150 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1984–1990. Of those, 19 describe a crash and 50 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.