Ford Bronco Recall: Transmission Issue in 2021-2025 Models
Areazine synthesizes this NHTSA vehicle recall directly from NHTSA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2021-2025 Bronco vehicles due to a potential misalignment in the transmission to transfer case joint, which could lead to loss of drive power and increased crash risk, affecting over 24,000 units.
What this NHTSA vehicle recall tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by NHTSA on April 23, 2026 and geographically references United States. Its severity classification of "high" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Vehicle Recalls - determines the consumer-protection framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, repairs, or the recall itself) are available to affected consumers and which agency holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to read it as a data point about the issuing system: how quickly NHTSA detected the hazard, how precise the geographic or product-identifier scope is, and whether similar notices have clustered in the same category or region in the last 90 days. Cluster patterns frequently precede a broader regulatory action, a single localized NHTSA vehicle recall is isolated; three of them within a quarter often indicate a supply-chain, infrastructure, or seasonal driver that will keep producing notices until something structural changes.
For decision-making, Areazine pairs each alert with the original agency URL, the full agency name, and a timestamp so you can verify the notice against the primary source before acting on it. Tags on this item (recall, product-safety, cpsc, vehicle) map to related alerts in the same area of risk - browsing them together gives a clearer picture than any single notice alone, because the shape of an ongoing issue only becomes visible across multiple sequential alerts.
Ford Bronco Recall
What Happened
Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2021-2025 Bronco vehicles because the transmission to transfer case joint may be misaligned due to an incorrectly performed previous repair. This misalignment could cause wear of the transmission output shaft splines and transfer case input splines, potentially leading to a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway.
Which Products Are Affected
The recall involves Ford Bronco vehicles from model years 2021 through 2025. The total number of affected units is 24,610. The NHTSA campaign number is 26V236000, and Ford's recall number is 26S26. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 15, 2026.
What You Should Do
Owners should expect to receive interim letters notifying them of the safety risk, with the first letters mailed on April 27, 2026. Once the remedy is available in July 2026, additional letters will be sent. Dealers will inspect the transmission to transfer case joint and replace the transmission and transfer case as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 for more information.
Why This Matters
This recall addresses a potential safety hazard that could result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash and potential injuries to drivers and others on the road.
Source
NHTSA recall notice for campaign number 26V236000, available at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=26V236000.
Original source: NHTSA Official Notice ↗
Related Vehicle Recalls
All Vehicle Recalls →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NHTSA vehicle recall.