question about gears

That’s the manual shift buttons. The Bronco has an automatic transmission but you can override the behavior of a the transmission (to an extent) to force it into a specific gear. This is helpful in certain situations off-roading, towing a large trailer down a hill, driving in snowy conditions, etc. This is particularly true when you want to use an engine braking—slowing down the vehicle using the resistance provided by the compression of the pistons—rather than the “normal” brakes. It is very similar to the older automatic transmissions that allow you to shift into 1st or 2nd gear using the “1” or “2”.

For normal driving you don’t need to touch those buttons at all. Just leave it in Drive.

RagnarKon

That’s the manual shift buttons. The Bronco has an automatic transmission but you can override the behavior of a the transmission (to an extent) to force it into a specific gear. This is helpful in certain situations off-roading, towing a large trailer down a hill, driving in snowy conditions, etc. This is particularly true when you want to use an engine braking—slowing down the vehicle using the resistance provided by the compression of the pistons—rather than the “normal” brakes. It is very similar to the older automatic transmissions that allow you to shift into 1st or 2nd gear using the “1” or “2”.

For normal driving you don’t need to touch those buttons at all. Just leave it in Drive.

See...that's my problem. I accidentally pressed it. The gear went down to 1. I noticed that was not ideal for normal driving, so I put it all the way to 8, which seems OK. I just want to be sure that is fine to have it on. I don't know if the default setting is 8.

wordyo24

See...that's my problem. I accidentally pressed it. The gear went down to 1. I noticed that was not ideal for normal driving, so I put it all the way to 8, which seems OK. I just want to be sure that is fine to have it on. I don't know if the default setting is 8.

What you are setting is the maximum gear. So if you set it to 8, it’ll use gears 1-8, but not 9 & 10. That should be fine for just about anything except interstate driving. If you set it to 1 it’ll only use 1st gear, obviously only appropriate for very low speeds.

You will notice your gearshift lever is set to “M” for manual mode. If you want to shift back into drive (“D”), just move the lever up one click to move it back into drive. If that doesn’t work, shift it into Neutral and back into Drive, that should reset everything.

wordyo24

See...that's my problem. I accidentally pressed it. The gear went down to 1. I noticed that was not ideal for normal driving, so I put it all the way to 8, which seems OK. I just want to be sure that is fine to have it on. I don't know if the default setting is 8.

I would strongly recommend one of the Off-Rodeo if you get the chance they give a really comprehensive overview of all the features of your vehicle and how and when to use them. Plus it's just an amazing experience.

This is a basic question, reading the owners manual goes a long way in understanding all the features your Bronco has to offer. Unless you read it, you are missing out on understanding a lot of features this vehicle has. Understanding and personalizing certain settings makes ownership more enjoyable.

I have only driven an automatic bronco at the off rodeo but I think it’s like most other vehicles with the manual shift buttons, if you do use it for engine braking or even just bump it on accident pressing and holding the “+” will take it back to drive.