Should You Worry About the Bronco 2.7-Liter V-6 Investigation?

As the status remains an investigation, and not a full-fledged recall, Ford is not disclosing many details about the issue. In an email, Ford spokesman Said Deep said, “We are aware of a small population and we are investigating. We are cooperating, as we always do with NHTSA. If any customers are experiencing issues, they will be covered under the vehicle’s 5-year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.”

To be clear, recalls are a part of every new-vehicle launch – especially with a new platform, new assembly lines, and new technologies. The complexity of creating a vehicle from scratch is incredibly complex. Even Wall Street sweetheart Elon Musk admits that building cars is hard. It’s why, no matter how much you want the latest, greatest thing, Consumer Reports advises against buying a car in its first model year.

If You Have a 2021 2.7L Bronco

But for those of you who couldn’t wait, and have a shiny new Bronco with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost in your driveway, what should you do about it? Deep declined to comment regarding signs or symptoms to indicate that a Bronco owner’s 2.7-liter V-6 could be in trouble.

Ford also installs the 2.7-liter V-6 engine in the following vehicles, none of which is under investigation for this alleged problem:

• Ford F-150
• Ford Edge Sport
• Ford Edge ST
• Ford Fusion Sport
• Lincoln MKX
• Lincoln Continental
• Lincoln Nautilus

Although it has been a mainstay of the Ford lineup for nearly a decade, this is not the first time the 2.7-liter turbo has come under NHTSA scrutiny.

• A 2019 technical service bulletin mentioned, “Some 2015-2017 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 2.7L EcoBoost engine may exhibit excessive white or blue smoke from the exhaust at start up after a cold soak. This may be due to oil entering the left hand turbocharger turbine housing.” In 2020, the TSB was updated to include 2018-2020 models.
• Also in 2019, a TSB noted: “Some 2015-2017 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 2.7L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an oil leak from the engine oil pan RTV seal. This may be due to a lack of RTV adhesion.” This TSB was later expanded to include the 2015-2017 Edge, and 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX, 2017 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ/Continental.”
• Another 2019 TSB stated that 2016-2017 F-150s may suffer from, “Oil consumption, rough idle, misfire with or without blue exhaust smoke… This may be due to a concern with the cylinder head valve guides.”

However, none of these TSBs rose to the level of a recall. Sometimes manufacturers can issue a TSB instead of a recall if the fault is seen not as a safety issue and affects a relatively small population of vehicles. Check out this link for more information regarding NHTSA’s investigation and recall process.

That said, having your Bronco stop stone-dead on Interstate 10 in desolate west Texas, or in the heart of Cinnamon Pass, could be considered a safety risk, if not at least a huge hassle.

Even though an investigation has started, Ford may have known about the issue before the official announcement. NHTSA notes that its Office of Defect Investigation received three key complaints in March 2022. And as the Blue Oval has thousands of powertrain engineers on staff, it would not be difficult to delegate the task of root-cause analysis on failure issues like these. Expect the resolution of this investigation to be complete in the near term.

If you have had a similar issue with your Bronco, here is the link to NHTSA’s website to lodge a complaint.