Total Complaints
43 filings
FORD BRONCO II · model year
43 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1987FORDBRONCO II carries 43 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 15 fires, 7 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1987 BRONCO II is vehicle speed control with 6 filings, followed by seat belts:front:buckle assembly (4) and electrical system:wiring:front underhood (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1987 BRONCO II, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
43 filings
Crashes Reported
5 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 3 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 3 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
BOUGHT THE BRONCO AND STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT, IT STARTED SPUTTING LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS WHEN IT WAS FULL(I JUST PUT A FULL TANK IN IT WHEN I PICKED IT UP AT A FRIENDS. *JB
Mileage: 9,900
BOUGHT THE BRONCO AND STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT, IT STARTED SPUTTING LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS WHEN IT WAS FULL(I JUST PUT A FULL TANK IN IT WHEN I PICKED IT UP AT A FRIENDS. *JB
Mileage: 9,900
MY FORD BRONCO II, 1987, WENT UP IN FLAMES. IT WAS LEAKING GAS, THE SMELL WAS REALLY STRONG AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A BURST OF FLAMES. WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT . *JB
Mileage: 9,900
THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE COIL, IGNITION SWITCH, BATTERY, EXHAUST SYSTEM AND ALSO A TUNE WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, IT WAS DETERMINED A WIRE WAS NOT GROUNDED CORRECTLY. *TS *JB
WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 55 MPH A CLOUD OF SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. WHEN PULLED OVER AND HOOD LIFTED I NOTICED A FIRE ON DRIVER SIDE OF ENGINES. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THE REPAIRS WERE GOING TO COST $2000 AND UP NOT CONSIDERING THE BLOCK THAT HAD BEEN CRACKED FROM FIRE DAMAGE. FIRE WAS DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE RADIATOR AND THE WATER PUMP. *NLM
BRONCO WAS DRIVEN ABOUT 1/4 MILE FORM HOME AND THE MOTOR DIED, AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BUSTED INTO FLAMES.*AK
BRONCO WAS DRIVEN ABOUT 1/4 MILE FORM HOME AND THE MOTOR DIED, AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BUSTED INTO FLAMES.*AK
VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WHILE IN PARK WHEN FIRST STARTING OUT, NARROWLY MISSING A PERSON, AND HITTING A BRICK WALL. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AFTER THE ENGINE GETS HOT THE ENGINE STALLS AT APROX. 30 TO 40 MPH. AFTER THE ENGINE COOLS THE CAR WILL RESTART AND RUN UNTIL IT GETS HOT AGAIN AND STALLS. THE DEALER SAID THEY CAN NOT FIND A PROBLEM IN ANY SYSTEM .*AK
IGNITION MODULE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH. HAD MODULE REPLACED 3 TIMES. COMMON PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AFTER THE ENGINE GETS HOT THE ENGINE STALLS AT APROX. 30 TO 40 MPH. AFTER THE ENGINE COOLS THE CAR WILL RESTART AND RUN UNTIL IT GETS HOT AGAIN AND STALLS. THE DEALER SAID THEY CAN NOT FIND A PROBLEM IN ANY SYSTEM .
I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I NOTICED A LARGE PUDDLE OF LIQUID COMING FROM UNDERNEATH OF MY VEHICLE. UPON INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE I FOUND THAT ONE OF THE PLASTIC FUEL LINES WHICH RUNS FROM THE FUEL FILTER TO THE GAS TANK HAD A LARGE HOLE IN IT. THE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE LEAKING FROM THIS HOLE WAS VERY LARGE IN VOLUME AND IT WAS SPRAYING ALL OVER THE AREA UNDER THE REAR PORTION OF MY VEHICLE INCLUDING THE TAILPIPE . IF THE TASILPIPE HAD BEEN HOT FROM NORMAL ENGINE TEMP THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A RATHER LARGE EXPLOSION RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY TO MYSELF. AUTO MAKERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO USE PLASTICS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AUTOMOBILE FUEL LINES.*AK
WHILE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE FUEL SPILLED INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN TRAVELING ABOUT 40-50 MPH VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD LEFT FRONT ENGINE AREA, MELTING THE FUEL LINE/ BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED, COULD NOT QUITE DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE, STATED MECHANICAL FAILURE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSED TO FROZEN THROTTLE BODY LINKAGE AFTER REPAIRED VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SAME SYMPTONS HOWEVER NO REPAIR WORK DONE.
SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF PARTIAL ROLL OVER AND LOSS OF CONTROL. (QCAW)
SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF PEOPLE CRACKING THEIR SKULLS ON THE DOOR FRAME WHEN ENTERING VEHICLE. (QCAW)
FUEL REGULATOR FAILURE CAUSES FUEL TO SPU ENGINE AND OUT THE BACK PIPE, CAUSING FIRE DANGER.
PROBLEM WITH STICK SHIFTER.
WHILE DRIVING THE SEATBELT ANCHOR ATTACHMENT SEPARATED FROM THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.