The law has required every new car to feature a backup camera going back to 2018 and yet, many carmakers appear to still have a hard time ensuring they work properly. Ford has experienced such issues before, and it’s dealing with them again — this time with the Bronco.
47,036 examples of the popular SUV — model years 2021 and 2022 — have been recalled for glitches affecting the camera and Sync infotainment system after the vehicle’s been reversed, then shifted back into a forward gear while in four-wheel-drive-low (“4-Low”) mode.
Rather than returning to the previously selected Sync menu, the display would reportedly go blank, before serving an error message after about a minute. Only trucks equipped with the standard 8-inch touchscreen — rather than the upgrade 12-inch version — are affected, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The solution is unsurprisingly a software update, enabling Sync to handle reversing while in 4-Low mode properly. The good news is that owners don’t need to leave home to apply the remedy. Hooray for over-the-air updates — the ones that fix things, anyway. Those who would prefer to take their Bronco to a service center to be put right are of course free to do so. Ford has not provided an ETA on the timeframe for the patch at the time of writing.
While Ford can claim a fair number of exciting product launches in recent memory, the decade thus far has not been kind to its quality control. Through September, the Dearborn-based automaker issued 52 safety recalls — more than any other manufacturer. Some of those had to do with finicky cameras, as with the Bronco — but other campaigns have been decidedly more pressing. If you happen to own an affected Bronco, expect a letter from your local Ford around December 19 telling you what you now already know.