Recalls shouldn’t necessarily scare you off of buying a truck, car, or SUV from a leading automaker. For has recalled over 11 million vehicles this year, but the Blue Oval makes up around 17% of all vehicle registries in the US, which comes out to around 47.5 million vehicles. With high sales volume comes high recall volume.
Be that as it may, Ford’s 60th recall for 2026 is a doozy, addressing a major fire hazard in the Ford Bronco that can be prevented with a simple sheathing that keeps the wiring harness from chafing.
Ford Is Recalling Over Half A Million Units
2026 Ford Bronco Badlands Wildtrak front 3/4 angle in yellowFord Motor Company
To run down the details of the latest recall.
- The recall was issued July 20, 2026.
- The recall covers 565,591 units.
- Affected vehicles include 2021-2026 Ford Broncos, and Ford Bronco Raptors.
- Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed starting August 24, 2026.
- The issue is considered a fire hazard, but there is no “do not drive” warning in effect.
The language of the NHTSA recall page states that “The engine compartment wiring harness may become damaged and short circuit,” which “can create heat or spark, increasing the risk of a fire.”
The Issue Has Been Linked To 15 Fires So Far
2026 Ford Bronco 60th Anniversary Package Exterior – pair of models front and rear angle in white and redFord
It should be noted that, of the 15 Bronco fires that have been reported, seven occurred in Raptors. Raptors make up a fairly small percentage of total Broncos sold, but they dominate nearly half of the reported fires.
This suggests that the problem is compounded by the high-speed off-road use that Raptors see. Wires can rub against other parts of the car and catch fire in any vehicle where the harness isn’t quite doing its job, but the chafing is amplified when you’re hopping sand dunes and sliding around corners on a dirt track. That’s not to say that people who drive standard Broncos can afford to put the recall off once those notification letters hit, only that Raptor drivers are getting the worst of it.
According to the NHTSA, drivers may see some early warning signs, including smoke entering through the air vents, followed by a warning message on the instrument cluster. And then you’ll see flames in the passenger side of the engine bay. Scary stuff, but, thankfully, there have been no serious injuries or casualties reported as yet.
A Simple Sheathing Is Expected To Fix The Problem
2026 Ford Bronco logo badgeFord
Ford’s remedy will involve a simple application of convolute sheathing. You know the ribbed tubing you see covering electrical wires? A few inches of covering, plus some abrasion tape, will create a protective barrier that keeps wiring from chafing on other parts of the car or against other bits of wiring.
Pricing may vary, but a quick Google search sees this tubing costing as little as two dollars a foot, depending on where you buy it. We don’t know exactly how much the recall will cost Ford in total, but we’d bet that the labor costs more than the parts on this one.
Ford Expects To Repair Around 5,656 Units
2026 ford bronco badlands wildtrakFord Motor Company
The problem with affected vehicles isn’t that they were shipped with a defective part. Rather, this sheathing is completely missing around a stretch of wiring routed past a sharp bracket edge. In other words, Ford is applying a part that should have been added at the factory.
To be clear, this isn’t just one defective part. The problem is said to be procedural, and has been observed in five different wiring harness designs. It’s not like when a car ships with a defective gasket or a machining error, it’s more like a loose or missing bolt or an insufficient weld. Something that should have been done at the factory, wasn’t done at the factory.
Ford estimates that only one percent of the recalled vehicles will actually be at risk of engine fire, and the brand expects most vehicles to pass inspection without the need for repair. That means that Ford only expects to add the sheathing to around 5,656 units. If any vehicles wind up needing chafed wiring replaced, we assume that will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Parts Are Cheap, But Expect Long Wait Times
2026 Ford Bronco Badlands Wildtrak side angle in yellowFord Motor Company
The components that will be used to correct this issue should be available at any automotive parts store. We wouldn’t expect there to be any parts shortages stemming from this recall. But, that’s over half a million Broncos that need to be inspected, and over 5,000 that need to be corrected with some sheathing and tape, and who knows how many that will need more extensive work to replace chafed wires.
To be clear, not every Bronco is affected, but nearly every Bronco is being recalled in order to be certain that affected units are corrected. No matter how many mechanics Ford has on staff, there’s only so much floor space in a garage, and there are only so many hours in a day. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear of owners waiting weeks for the fix once the notification letters are sent.
Can You Do The Recall Yourself?
2026 Ford Bronco rear 3/4Ford: From The Road
Your car is your property, and you can do whatever you want with it, but there are some complicating factors when you do recalls yourself, or you have them done at an aftermarket garage. To go over some of the key reasons most drivers don’t bother handling recall fixes at home.
- You have to pay for the parts yourself, and reimbursement isn’t guaranteed.
- It’s time out of your day that you’re not getting paid for.
- DIY fixes don’t close the books on the recall, meaning your VIN still has that recall listed as open until it’s handled by a certified mechanic.
- You don’t really know what you’re looking for when DIYing a recall fix.
- It’s possible to make the problem worse by trying to fix it on your own.
While many of these hangups aren’t much of a concern for such a simple, cheap fix, the fact remains that you won’t know exactly what you’re looking for in your wiring harness without Ford sending you all the same documentation they send to certified mechanics.
It’s technically legal for private owners to drive a car with open recalls, or with recalls handled via a DIY fix. It’s illegal for dealers to sell a new vehicle with an open recall, but, once the car is in your name, you can do whatever you want. Nobody’s going to chase you down and give you a police escort to the nearest Ford dealer.
If you really want to climb around under your Bronco and apply the tape and the tubing yourself, nobody’s stopping you, but you might spend the rest of the vehicle’s life wondering if you did it right, and mistaking every weird odor on the road for burning wires. You might also wind up sheepishly explaining to the Ford mechanics that you didn’t know where to put the tape so you just wrapped everything up like a mummy.
Our advice, if you drive a Bronco, would be to not panic about this repair, as very few units actually catch fire, but don’t put it off, either. When you get the letter, schedule a visit to the shop, and get it taken care of.
Every Model Year Is Affected
2026 ford bronco badlands wildtrakFord Motor Company
The recall affects around half a million Broncos, and Ford has sold around half a million Broncos since the nameplate was relaunched for the 2021 model year. Not every recalled Bronco will need to be repaired, but it looks like almost every Bronco will need to be recalled.
In other words, if you’re in the market for a used model, don’t worry about trying to find a trim or a model year that won’t have you getting the recall. If you’re driving a Bronco produced this decade, you’re going to be getting a notification letter.
Sources: Ford, NHTSA.
