FORD BRONCO II · model year

1987 FORD BRONCO II

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.

43
Complaints
5
Crashes
15
Fires
7
Injuries
1
Deaths

Total Complaints

43 filings

Crashes Reported

5 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1

Recent Complaints

20050213FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

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

20050213FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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

20040405FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

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

20030407FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

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

20030315FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

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

20020906FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

BRONCO WAS DRIVEN ABOUT 1/4 MILE FORM HOME AND THE MOTOR DIED, AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BUSTED INTO FLAMES.*AK

20020906FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

BRONCO WAS DRIVEN ABOUT 1/4 MILE FORM HOME AND THE MOTOR DIED, AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BUSTED INTO FLAMES.*AK

20020827CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WHILE IN PARK WHEN FIRST STARTING OUT, NARROWLY MISSING A PERSON, AND HITTING A BRICK WALL. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

20020722ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

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

20010111ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

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

20001025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

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 .

20000725FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

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

19991122FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

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

19990415FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

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

19990225VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSED TO FROZEN THROTTLE BODY LINKAGE AFTER REPAIRED VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SAME SYMPTONS HOWEVER NO REPAIR WORK DONE.

19980917SUSPENSION

SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF PARTIAL ROLL OVER AND LOSS OF CONTROL. (QCAW)

19980917STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF PEOPLE CRACKING THEIR SKULLS ON THE DOOR FRAME WHEN ENTERING VEHICLE. (QCAW)

19980917FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

FUEL REGULATOR FAILURE CAUSES FUEL TO SPU ENGINE AND OUT THE BACK PIPE, CAUSING FIRE DANGER.

19980917POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY

PROBLEM WITH STICK SHIFTER.

19980715SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

WHILE DRIVING THE SEATBELT ANCHOR ATTACHMENT SEPARATED FROM THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK

Compare 1987FORDBRONCO II to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1987 FORD BRONCO II have?
The 1987 FORD BRONCO II has 43 NHTSA complaints, 5 crashes, 15 fires, 7 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 FORD BRONCO II?
The most-complained component for the 1987 FORD BRONCO II is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD.
Is the 1987 FORD BRONCO II safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.