Ford Motor Company has issued a safety recall for roughly 229,600 of its 2025–2026 Bronco and Bronco Sports. The problem? The instrument panel (also known as the instrument panel cluster, or IPC) may not display, meaning a black screen at startup, failing to provide critical information drivers need such as vehicle speed and warning lights.
What’s Wrong
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the defect involves a software (or system) failure in the instrument panel cluster. When affected vehicles are started, the IPC may not power on properly, essentially leaving the driver with a “black” or blank instrument display. Without the display, the driver may miss vital safety information such as speedometer reading, warning lights, and other dashboard indicators.
Ford has said that, as of now, no injuries related to this issue have been reported.
Scope of the Recall
Affected Models: 2025–2026 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport.
Number of Vehicles:
128,607 Bronco Sports
101,002 Broncos
Recall ID Numbers:
Ford’s internal reference: 25SC3
NHTSA campaign: 25V540
Owner Notification: Ford plans to begin mailing recall letters on December 8, 2025.
What Ford Is Doing to Fix It
Repair Method: Ford will issue a software update to address the instrument panel failure.
Cost: Free to the vehicle owner.
Why This Is Potentially Dangerous
Without the instrument panel, drivers lack real-time feedback on critical metrics: speed, warning lights (e.g., engine check, airbags), or other alerts. That increases the risk of a crash, because a driver may not know if there’s a system fault or be able to gauge important information. Even though no injuries have been reported so far, the potential safety risk is significant enough for a full recall.
What Owners Should Do Now
Wait for Ford’s Recall Letter
If you own a 2025–2026 Bronco or Bronco Sport, Ford will be sending out recall notifications starting December 8, 2025.
Contact Your Dealer
Once notified, schedule a software update through a Ford or Lincoln dealer. Another option, mentioned by the NHTSA is an OTA (over the air) update, which may be another option to quickly fix the software issue.
Check Your VIN
Use the NHTSA’s recall lookup tool to verify whether your vehicle is part of this campaign (recall number 25V540).
Pay Attention
Until the fix is applied to your vehicle, pay close attention when you start it up: if your instrument panel doesn’t come alive, be careful, drive cautiously, and avoid highway driving if possible until it's resolved or better yet, don’t drive it at all.
Why This May Have Happened
According to earlier NHTSA documentation, a related issue flagged by Ford involved misplaced Kapton tape inside the instrument cluster during assembly.
That misplacement allowed a flex cable to come into contact with PCB (printed circuit board) components, potentially causing a “black screen” or total lack of illumination. Although this may turn out to be the issue, the fact that a simple fix of a software update can correct it brings this theory into question.
Ford’s recall of over 200,000 Broncos and Bronco Sports shows just how critical software (and quality in assembly) has become, even in vehicles built tough for off-road use. While the fix may be straightforward, a software update that’s free to owners, the potential risk of a dark instrument panel is not something to ignore. Owners should act quickly when they receive their recall notices and be especially careful in the meantime. Hopefully Ford can quickly fix this issue and get these recalls behind them.
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