Loss of Drive Power due to Transmission Misalignment

Affected vehicles (1)

Component / system

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Bronco vehicles. The transmission to transfer case joint may be misaligned due to an incorrectly performed previous repair, which could lead to wear of the transmission output shaft splines and transfer case input splines.

Risk / consequence

Excessive wear of the transmission and transfer case splines may result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the transmission to transfer case joint and replace the transmission and transfer case as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed April 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in July 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S26. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 15, 2026.

Chronology of events

1. November 2025

   In November 2025, Ford assessed warranty claims related to transmission output shaft spline wear and transfer case input spline wear on 2022-2023 model year (MY) Bronco vehicles. These warranty claims included reports of noise and vibration and a failure to engage drive. On December 4, 2025, this concern was brought into Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) for review.

2. December 2025

   In December 2025, the CCRG’s investigation identified additional reports of similar spline wear in 2021- 2025MY vehicles, including reports describing a loss of power while driving and loss of park pawl engagement. The CCRG identified a strong correlation between spline wear reports and a history of documented service repairs involving the removal of the transmission or transfer case. During January and February 2026, the CCRG analyzed returned parts, completed computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulations, and conducted physical testing to conclude the root cause of the spline wear is misalignment in the joint between the transfer case and transmission. Physical vehicle testing found that an induced misalignment in this joint resulted in spline wear patterns consistent with those observed on warranty failures in the field.

Notification schedule

Dealer notification

Apr 15, 2026 - Apr 15, 2026 No Dealers

Owner notification

Jul 01, 2026 - Sep 30, 2026 Phased Recall