Ford is recalling more than 565,000 Broncos over an engine-bay fire risk

Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 565,000 Bronco and Bronco Raptor SUVs because a wiring harness in the engine compartment can wear through and start a fire. The action covers model years 2021 through 2026 and is one of the larger fire-risk recalls the automaker has issued this year.

Federal safety regulators logged the campaign under NHTSA number 26V468, and vehicle identification numbers for affected trucks became searchable on July 23, 2026. No injuries or deaths have been tied to the defect so far, but the potential consequence — an under-hood fire — makes it a serious safety concern.

How the wiring harness fails

The problem originates with the engine compartment wiring harness, the bundle of wires that carries power and signals through the front of the vehicle. As the Bronco is driven, the harness can rub against surrounding engine components, gradually wearing away its outer protective layer.

Once that protective sheathing is worn down, the internal wires can become exposed and short circuit. A short circuit can generate concentrated heat or throw sparks, and either outcome can produce smoke or ignite a fire under the hood. Because the wear accumulates through normal driving, the risk grows over the life of the vehicle rather than appearing all at once.

What the incident record shows

Ford’s engineers identified 15 confirmed or potential incidents in which evidence suggested a fire may have originated from the engine compartment wiring harness. That total breaks down into seven Bronco Raptor fires and eight standard Bronco fires.

The incidents were documented across warranty claims and legal filings submitted between October 2024 and June 2026, a span of roughly 20 months. No injuries or fatalities were reported in connection with any of them, which is a meaningful detail but not a reason for owners to delay a free repair.

The mix of Raptor and standard Bronco fires is notable because the two variants share the same basic engine-bay architecture even though the high-performance Raptor carries more aggressive hardware. That overlap suggests the defect stems from how the harness is routed and protected rather than from any feature unique to a single trim, which is consistent with a recall that spans the full model range from 2021 through 2026 rather than a narrow slice of production.

The repair and how owners are notified

The fix is designed to stop the wear before it can expose the wires. Ford dealers will install protective sheathing over the wiring harness at no cost, reinforcing the section that rubs against nearby components so the outer layer no longer degrades.

Owner notification letters were scheduled to begin going out on August 24, 2026. In the meantime, anyone who owns a 2021 through 2026 Bronco or Bronco Raptor can check whether a specific vehicle is included by entering its VIN on the federal safety database. A broader roundup of the campaign and the year’s recall volume is available through Yahoo Autos’ recall tracker.

Warning signs and interim caution

Because the defect involves electrical wear, drivers of affected models should treat certain symptoms as urgent. A burning smell, smoke, flickering electrical systems or a dashboard warning tied to electrical faults all warrant immediate attention and a prompt stop in a safe location.

Until the sheathing is installed, cautious owners may choose to park away from structures and other vehicles, the same interim step recommended in many fire-risk recalls. The repair itself is straightforward for a dealer to perform, so scheduling it quickly is the most effective way to eliminate the hazard.

Because the wear accumulates gradually, a vehicle that has shown no symptoms is not necessarily safe over the long run. The protective sheathing is a preventive fix meant to stop the outer layer from degrading before any short circuit occurs, which is why regulators encourage owners to complete the repair even if their SUV has behaved normally. Treating the recall as a maintenance item to schedule rather than an emergency to react to captures the right balance for most drivers.

How this fits the year’s recall wave

This campaign lands during a heavy stretch of automotive recalls, with federal regulators logging hundreds of separate actions across the industry in 2026. Fire risk driven by wiring or electrical faults has been a recurring theme, appearing in campaigns from several manufacturers this year.

For the Bronco specifically, the recall is a reminder that a nameplate revived to strong sales can still carry engineering vulnerabilities that only surface after years of real-world driving. Ford has faced multiple recalls touching the Bronco family and its Escape and Bronco Sport siblings for unrelated issues, and the pattern underscores how a single popular platform can generate a string of separate safety actions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains the authoritative record for each of these campaigns at its official recall portal.

What owners should do now

The practical path is clear. Owners of a 2021 through 2026 Bronco or Bronco Raptor should confirm whether their VIN is included, watch for the notification letter that began arriving in late August, and schedule the free sheathing installation as soon as a dealer appointment is available.

With more than half a million vehicles involved and a defect that can produce an under-hood fire, the recall is significant in both scale and severity. The absence of reported injuries offers some reassurance, but the fix is free and the hazard is real, which makes acting promptly the sensible course for anyone driving one of the affected SUVs.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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