1996 Ford Bronco Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Bronco years
- About as many complaints as other years 5th of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 81 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Ford Bronco. That ranks 5th out of 11 Bronco model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is vehicle speed control (22 complaints, 27%), typically at around 138,000 miles. Complaints mention 6 crashes, 23 fires, 6 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 81owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 6complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Ford Bronco problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 22 | 27% | 138,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 15 | 19% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 13 | 16% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 10 | 12% | 116,489 | — | — |
| Power Train | 8 | 10% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 5 | 6% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 5% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 5% | 4,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% | 210,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 2% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Ford Bronco recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
Risk: A fire at the switch could occur.
Fix: By letter dated september 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected. Owners who have had their speed control deactivated are being notified that parts will be available and advised to make an appointment to reconnect the speed control beginning in february 2006. Owners who did not have their speed control deactivated are being notified to have their system remedied beginning in february 2006. Owners are urged to avail themselves of the free disconnect service as soon as possible because of the significant risk of fire. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 06v286)
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine compartment fires (EA05005) — opened Mar 22, 2005, closed Aug 2, 2006, led to recall 05V388000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Transmission jumps out of overdrive, afterwards hard shifts in all gears after high rpms. The fix is to stop, cut the engine off and the transmission resets for lack on a better term. When the bronco is in od and is just crusing, not in a pull, is when the od jumps out. Like any other thing it does…
Head light dimmer switch/turn signal switch. After head lights have been running for a few minutes, the head lights will begin to flash on/off in either high beams or low beams. I have found the issue to be in the high beam switch itself. If this had happened on a busy street or in a location where…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford bronco. While parked, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher but was unable to control the fire. The fire department reported to the scene and a report was filed. The contact…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford bronco with indico thornbird 385* 14 * 16 tires(na) dot number kpbc80507. The tires were vibrating; therefore, the contact had them rotated. During the rotation the contact was told that the lining inside of all four tires curled up. The manufacturer insisted that…
1996 ford bronco caught fire over weekend while my family and i were driving home. Monday ford had it towed into the local dealership to repair and now, three days later they are telling me that they will not repair it since i knew about the problem. I argued that i had no idea and they say that…
Other Ford Bronco years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Bronco | 9 | 9 |
| 2025 Bronco | 54 | 19 |
| 2024 Bronco | 79 | 16 |
| 2023 Bronco | 229 | 18 |
| 2022 Bronco | 381 | 23 |
| 2021 Bronco | 230 | 20 |
| 1999 Bronco | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 Bronco | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 Bronco | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 | 81 | 1 |
| 1995 Bronco | 94 | 1 |
See all Ford Bronco problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Ford Bronco?
Owners most often report vehicle speed control, service brakes, hydraulic, visibility problems. The top one, vehicle speed control, accounts for 22 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Ford Bronco?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Ford Bronco a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Bronco model years, the 1996 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.