Recall Alert: Ford Bronco, Ranger

Jun 10, 2024

Ford has issued a recall for about 1,400 Bronco SUVs and Ranger pickups from model year 2023 because their driver’s side wheels could fall off.

In documents filed with federal safety regulators, Ford explains that the lug nuts on the driver’s side wheels may not have been properly tightened at the factory. A machine that attaches them was briefly out of service in February, requiring factory workers to tighten the nuts manually. Some “may not have been torqued to specification on the left front and left rear road wheels during the manual backup process.”

Ford says it is “not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition,” but the company knows of “one instance in which a detached wheel allegedly contacted another vehicle.” We’d like to see film of a wheel detaching and contacting another vehicle in a way that doesn’t qualify as an accident.

Ford says it will contact every owner of a Bronco or Ranger built with manually tightened lug nuts and ask them not to drive the vehicle until it is repaired. Because the repair is so simple (tighten the lug nuts), owners will be given several options to choose from to get the problem fixed.

Dealers can arrange to tow the vehicle to the dealership or send a technician to the owner’s home to tighten the nuts there.

You might be tempted to do the work yourself. Ford says that’s fine, but they’ll want to inspect the results to ensure that everything remains covered under warranty. “As an interim action, instructions will be provided for an owner to conduct the torque verification should they have the desire and capability to do so,” the company says, but “the vehicle must be inspected by a Ford or Lincoln dealer for torque validation, component damage, and completion of the repair.”

Recall repairs are always free.

Many cars are recalled, often more than once, during their lifespan. Automakers try to contact every owner but don’t always reach them all. Find out whether your car has any outstanding recalls with the easy VIN tool at our recall center.

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