Key facts
- Recall: NHTSA campaign 26V468000 / Ford recall 26S55, made public around July 24, 2026; VINs searchable on NHTSA.gov since July 23, 2026.
- Population: 565,691 vehicles — 2021-2026 Ford Bronco and Bronco Raptor, body-on-frame only. Production Sep 23, 2020 to Jun 28, 2026. Ford estimates 1% carry the defect.
- Defect: Relative movement plus insufficient abrasion protection lets the engine-compartment wiring harness chafe through; exposed circuits short to ground and arc, and heat or spark can ignite flammable components, with "flames coming from the passenger side engine compartment area."
- Warning signs: Smoke through the air vents or an instrument-cluster warning message before flames.
- Documented incidents: 15 fires between Oct 15, 2024 and Jun 20, 2026 — 7 Bronco Raptor, 8 base Bronco. Ford reports no accidents or injuries tied to the defect.
- Remedy: Dealer installs convolute sheathing/abrasion tape over the harness, free. Not an over-the-air update. Owner letters mailed beginning Aug 24, 2026.
- Supplier: Versigent (Guadalupe, Mexico).
How many fire complaints did owners file before the recall?
In NHTSA's ODI complaints database for the 2021-2024 Ford Bronco, 33 of 850 complaints described a fire, flame, smoke, burn, or melt event, and 11 carried NHTSA's binary fire flag. All 33 were filed before recall 26V468 was received by NHTSA on July 20, 2026. By model year the fire/thermal complaints break out as 2021: 13, 2022: 8, 2023: 7, 2024: 5.
The count is a superset, not a harness-confirmed tally. Some 2026 fire complaints reference other Bronco recalls (such as 26V236, a driveshaft/transfer-case campaign), so not every one stems from the harness. Ford's own harness-attributable figure is 15 incidents across the full 2021-2026 population. Read the 33 as the broad owner-reported fire signal that accumulated ahead of the recall, and the 15 as Ford's confirmed harness subset.
Which model years and trims cluster hottest?
The 2021 Bronco is the hottest cluster in the complaint data: 13 of the 33 fire/thermal complaints, and the highest engine-component share at 67 of its 218 complaints (31%). That is consistent with it being the earliest-built, highest-mileage, longest-exposed cohort. Electrical-system complaints run across all four years (28 in 2021, 35 in 2022, 22 in 2023, 16 in 2024; 101 total).
Ford's filing tells a different-looking story on trim. Of the 15 documented harness fires, 7 were Bronco Raptors and 8 were base Broncos — meaning the Raptor is massively over-represented, because it is only a small slice of production. Ford attributes this to greater harness chafing from the Raptor's suspension travel and underhood vibration. Note the data limits: NHTSA's complaint API does not tag Raptor separately from base Bronco, so the 7/8 split comes only from Ford's Part 573, not the complaint set.
Affected models and complaint data
| Model | Model years | In recall 26V468 | Fire/thermal NHTSA complaints, 2021-24 (of total) | Top complaint component | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Bronco (base, body-on-frame) | 2021-2026 | Yes; 8 of 15 documented fires | 2021: 13/218, 2022: 8/349, 2023: 7/214, 2024: 5/69 | Engine (2021); visibility/wiper (2022-23) | 2021 hottest; engine = 31% of MY2021 complaints |
| Ford Bronco Raptor (body-on-frame) | 2022-2026 | Yes; 7 of 15 documented fires | Counted within Bronco totals (API does not split Raptor) | Engine / electrical | Harness chafes more from suspension travel; over-represented in fires |
| Ford Bronco Sport (unibody) | separate | No | n/a | n/a | Covered under the separate ~694,000-unit fuel-injector recall |
| Ford Escape (unibody) | separate | No | n/a | n/a | Same fuel-injector recall, not the Bronco harness fire |
By the numbers
- 565,691 vehicles recalled under 26V468; Ford estimates 1% carry the defect.
- 850 total NHTSA complaints for the 2021-2024 Bronco; 33 fire/thermal, 11 with NHTSA's fire flag.
- Fire/thermal by model year: 2021: 13, 2022: 8, 2023: 7, 2024: 5.
- Complaints by year filed: 2022: 9, 2023: 6, 2024: 4, 2025: 8, 2026: 6 — a renewed spike through 2025-2026 as fires accumulated ahead of the recall.
- Ford's confirmed harness incidents: 15 fires (7 Raptor, 8 base), Oct 15, 2024 - Jun 20, 2026, with 0 accidents or injuries.
Based on NHTSA ODI complaintsByVehicle records for the Ford Bronco, model years 2021-2024, retrieved July 26, 2026; fire/thermal defined as NHTSA's fire flag or a narrative containing fire, flame, smoke, burn, or melt. Recall figures from NHTSA Part 573 report 26V468. Counts are a live snapshot and will rise as post-recall filings are processed.
Corroboration sits in the raw narratives: a Nov 23, 2025 VOQ on a 2024 Bronco states the fire "originated in the passenger side engine compartment" and was a total loss — matching the recall's passenger-side finding — while multiple 2022 narratives describe a Bronco engulfed in fire while parked or at a gas station.
Is this the same as the Bronco Sport / Escape recall?
No. Recall 26V468 covers 565,691 body-on-frame Ford Bronco and Bronco Raptor SUVs for the wiring-harness fire. The Bronco Sport and Escape recall — roughly 694,000 unibody vehicles — is a separate campaign for a cracked fuel injector that can leak onto an ignition source. Different vehicles, different mechanism, different campaign. It is also distinct from the 2024 recall 24V635000 (2021-2022 Bronco and F-150 2.7L EcoBoost intake-valve engine failure), which is mechanical rather than a fire risk.
How to check a specific Bronco by VIN
Start with the authoritative source: enter the VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls, the free federal tool, which now flags 26V468 for in-scope trucks and shows any open recall's presence. To confirm the repair itself — whether a dealer actually installed the harness sheathing — contact a Ford dealer, who can check remedy status through Ford's OASIS system. Recall lookups show whether a fix is available, not whether it was performed.
A Zilocar VIN check is a useful second screen alongside NHTSA. It surfaces the same open-recall presence signal and, more usefully for a used buyer, pulls the vehicle's history: accident and damage records with location, severity, and airbag-deployment status; junk and salvage auction records; an odometer/rollback check; theft records (NICB); ownership history; and past and current sales-listing history with prices, mileage, and days on market. That combination is what catches a Bronco that burned to a total loss, was rebuilt, and is being flipped.
What a VIN check can and can't tell you here
A VIN check is strong on history and recall presence, and deliberately silent on remedy and investigation status. Use it to screen, then cede confirmation to NHTSA and the dealer.
| A VIN check CAN show | A VIN check CANNOT show |
|---|---|
| Whether 26V468 (and other open recalls) is present on the VIN | Whether the harness sheathing repair was actually installed (open vs. closed status) |
| Accident/damage records, including fire/burn type, severity, airbag deployment | Whether the VIN is in Ford's estimated 1%-with-defect subset |
| Junk and salvage auction records | The legal title-brand classification (it shows salvage/junk auction records, not the branded title) |
| Odometer/rollback, theft (NICB), ownership and sales-listing history | Any NHTSA PE/EA investigation status |
| Specs/options, NHTSA + IIHS safety ratings, market valuation | Per-unit dealer firmware or remedy detail |
