Ford is recalling 565,691 Bronco and Bronco Raptor SUVs because a wiring harness in the engine compartment can short circuit and start a fire, the company said Thursday.
The recall covers model years 2021 through 2026 — effectively the entire production run of the reborn Bronco. Ford's number for the recall is 26S55; NHTSA's campaign number is 26V468. Affected VINs are searchable now at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What's wrong
The harness does not have enough protection where it runs through the engine bay. Over time the covering can wear through, exposing the wires underneath and allowing them to short.
Ford's description of what happens next is specific, and worth knowing before it happens rather than during. A driver may first notice smoke coming through the air vents or a warning message on the dashboard. Flames can follow, from the passenger side of the engine compartment.
Ford estimates roughly 1% of the recalled vehicles — somewhere near 5,600 — actually have the defect. The recall covers all 565,691 because there is no way to identify the affected ones without an inspection. The company said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem.
What owners should do
Check your VIN. The 17-digit number is on the driver's side dashboard where it meets the windshield, on the driver's door jamb sticker, and on your registration and insurance documents. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
If your vehicle is included, call a Ford dealer and book the repair, quoting 26S55. Dealers will install new protective covering over the exposed section of harness at no cost. Owner notification letters go out after August 24, but there is no reason to wait for the mail — the parts and the procedure are available to dealers now.
Ford customer service is at 1-866-436-7332. NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline is 1-888-327-4236, TTY 1-888-275-9171.
One thing Ford has not done is tell owners to park outside or stop driving, which the company does issue for some fire-risk recalls. That is a meaningful distinction: the guidance here is to get the repair done, not to treat the vehicle as unsafe to park in a garage in the meantime.
Context
This is the second large fire-related Ford recall involving Bronco-badged vehicles in recent memory, though the two are unrelated mechanically. An earlier campaign covered Bronco Sport and Escape models over a fuel injector issue — a different vehicle on a different platform, with a different defect. If you own a Bronco Sport rather than a Bronco, this recall does not apply to you, and a VIN check will confirm it either way.
A note on the numbers circulating today: some coverage has cited a specific count of fires tied to this defect. The Associated Press account and Ford's own statement address accidents and injuries — of which Ford says there are none reported — rather than a fire tally. We are not repeating a figure we cannot source to Ford or NHTSA. The full Part 573 safety recall report filed with NHTSA is the document to watch for that detail.
