Dive Brief:
- Ford Motor Co. has recalled nearly 230,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport SUVs for a software error that may cause the instrument panel cluster (IPC) to be blank upon startup, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The recall involves certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport models produced between March 7, 2024, and Nov. 3, 2025. All of the recalled SUVs are estimated to have the software defect.
- Owners will be notified by mail to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the IPC software updated, free of charge. Notification letters are scheduled to be sent starting Dec. 8.
Dive Insight:
The digital instrument panel cluster shows critical vehicle information, such as speed, warning lights and fuel level. The absence of necessary safety information can increase the risk of a crash, according to the recall report.
On Sept. 18, Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group was alerted to instances of blank instrument panel cluster screens on some 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles manufactured with SX2 instrument panel clusters.
Between September and October, the Critical Concern Review Group reviewed the issue and found that the vehicles were compliant with federal safety rules when they were released to dealerships. However, Ford’s investigators also determined that the concern was similar to an August recall of more than 355,000 F-series trucks for blank instrument panel clusters.
Although only a small number of Bronco and Bronco Sport drivers have submitted warranty claims concerning blank instrument clusters, Ford’s connected vehicle data show that 68% of recalled vehicles could be susceptible to the issue — a failure rate similar to the previous F-series recall.
As was the case with the August recall, the issue can occur when the vehicle’s internal network attempts to “wake” the instrument panel cluster from sleep mode within a narrow timing window, triggering a memory protection fault that prevents the display from powering up.
Ford’s Field Review Committee ultimately approved the recall on Nov. 7.
To date, the company has received 12 warranty claims related to the issue, the first of which was received on May 15, 2025. However, Ford is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the concern.
The affected digital instrument panel clusters for this recall and the August recall were sourced from Michigan-based Tier 1 supplier Visteon.
The remedied software will disable the IPC’s memory protection feature, which led to blank display fault on startup.
Ford’s latest recall is one of over 135 this year — a record-high for any automaker. Collectively, the recalls extend to over 8 million vehicles.
