My 2024 Ford Bronco With 600 Miles On It, Died In Rural Arkansas With My Fiancé Driving, I Was a Big Ford Fan, But Not Any Longer, Stay Away From Ford

So, I'm a big Ford fan. However, I'm no longer a big fan of Ford.

That's what Zack Launius (@zacklaunius) says in his TikTok video, which he made as a warning for other Ford Bronco buyers. 

Picture this: You're all set to surprise your fiancé with the car of her dreams, a 2024 Ford Bronco. You've found the perfect one, negotiated the deal, and even secured the financing. The only catch? The Bronco is in Alabama, and you're in Arizona. But that's no problem, right? You're used to traveling for work and planned to pick it up just in time for Christmas. It's the perfect gift. 

You're both filled with excitement as you drive your Ford F-350 King Ranch to pick up the new Ford Bronco. And when you finally see the Bronco, it's everything you've both dreamed of.

You drive the new Bronco for a few days before heading back. After the holidays, it's time for you to return to work. Your fiancé drives the new Ford Bronco, and she leaves for a quick trip to see friends in Colorado before heading home. You drive your truck back to Arizona. 

But what follows is beyond belief. The dream car turns into a nightmare. Here's their unbelievable story. Strap in, it's a wild ride.  

Zach says, "I wanted to share about my experience purchasing a 2024 Ford Bronco. Here's a rundown of how that's gone. First and foremost, my fiancé wanted a Bronco. She wanted a Bronco, and it's like her dream car, so I thought we'd get one for Christmas.” 

So y'all think, ya, we get a Bronco. Well, let me tell you what happened.

Okay, this whole thing started when we found a brand-new 2024 Ford Bronco that we liked. It's a silver Big Bend with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission.

After filling out the application and after a week, we get the approval. We put $8,000 down on it, and the price out the door was around $42,000.

So, we scheduled the pick up for December 22nd because I travel full time for work. We are currently in Arizona, and we drove across the country from Arizona to Minnesota because I had to go for some training.   

After that, we drove down to the Ford dealer in Alabama to pick up the Bronco. So, after the test drive, we take the Bronco from the dealer, and it has 15 miles on it from previous test drives, so it's a brand new car.

We drove it for three or four days, and then Charlene, my fiancé, had to work after the holidays, so we both drove back to Arizona. This is really when (expletive) hit the fan. 

So she leaves about an hour before me because she will see her friends in Colorado. But she discovers her friend's husband is sick, and they don't want to get anyone sick, so she returns to Arizona.

When I heard the news, I left and returned to Arizona. So, she takes Interstate 40 from our route, and I take an I-20. So, she's in Arkansas, and I'm in Mississippi, and let me say that I love Ford as a brand. I've always driven a Ford since I could own a vehicle. 

I had a 2017 Ford F-250, and it was a fantastic truck. Currently, I have a 2020 F-350 King Ranch. So, I'm a big Ford fan. However, I'm no longer a big fan of Ford. Here's why. 

So, we are driving, and there's about a four-hour difference between us. We talk on the phone about every thirty minutes, and while we are on the phone, Charlene tells me that the Bronco is acting weird and jerking around, and the car has about 600 miles on it at this point.

I'm thinking oh my gosh, this is a brand new car. What could be wrong? While we were on the phone, she told me through the Ford Pass app that it had a PCM failure and a start assist failure, and the four-wheel drive and engine should be serviced soon.  

Well, it's raining so hard that I had to change routes. I'm five hours away, and we are on the phone. Charlene's stuck in traffic, and it's raining hard. 

She has to drive the Bronco in a limp model and can only go 20 miles an hour on the interstate. So imagine it's pouring rain, going 20 miles an hour on I-40 through rural Arkansas, and there is nowhere to get off the highway. 

Everyone is speeding past her at 60 to 70 miles per hour. That's a very (expletive) experience. So, she can finally pull off the highway, turn off the vehicle, and restart the engine. It works perfectly, so I think, okay, thank god that's over.

So, she gets back on the highway, and we plan to meet in Dallas and spend the night in Abilene. We wake up the following day, leave, get to El Paso, and pull over to get gas. 

Then, Zack says, the Bronco completely shuts down out of nowhere. It's a total shutdown with no response. It won't start, and there's nothing. 

The unexpectedness of it all leaves Zack and Charlene in shock.

So, we get on the Ford Pass app and get roadside assistance. The driver picks up the Bronco and says he can't take it to the dealer until Monday morning. We can't wait because we have to get back home. 

So, about four hours from the house, we got a call from the dealer saying they had no idea why we brought the Bronco into them. It's 100% okay. You can come and pick it up. 

We drove four and a half hours from Arizona back to El Paso to get the Bronco. We get in the car, drive 30 miles, and it's (expletive) up again. 

So, if you've ever been on I-10 east of El Paso, the speed limit is 85 miles per hour. The people who drive that road are going 90 to 95 miles per hour.    

Now imagine that we are 10 miles per hour on I-10 with cars speeding by us going 90. It's just dangerous, dangerous as hell. We are finally able to limp back to the Ford dealer.

The tech scans the Bronco's computer, and it's reading five different error codes. It has a random cylinder misfire, a PCM error, and a throttle position sensor code. 

So now my fiancé can't go to work, she can't do anything because we only have one car and the Bronco is at the dealer. They refused to give us a loaner, they won't get us a rental car, and there's been no communication between Ford and us as customers who spent $40,000. 

So, we're at the Ford dealer now, and the Bronco is still in the service department. We are still waiting to hear. I have requested a new vehicle at this point. 

Everyone I've talked to about the Bronco says they have never had this problem. So, this is a fair warning: don't buy a (expletive) Bronco. Ford does not care about you. They don't care about helping you get a loaner or if your brand-new car is in repair. 

I would get it if the Bronco had 20,000 or 30,000 miles on it, but this Bronco was still under factory warranty. But they have been no help at all in our situation. So, stay away from Ford. 

We submitted a claim with Ford to buy the vehicle back, and they denied our claim. They said no because it must be out of service for 30 days and in the shop three times for the same issue. 

So, Zack and Charlene sit in the waiting room. As a loyal Ford fan, Zack has always valued the brand. However, his recent experience has left him feeling betrayed and disillusioned.

Conclusion.  

What should Zack and Charlene do at this point? 

There is nothing they can do but wait for the Ford dealer to fix their 2024 Bronco. 

The Ford dealer is correct. The Arizona Lemon Law presumes the vehicle's repair history is unreasonable if the car has been in the repair shop for a cumulative total of 30 days or the car was repaired for the same related issue four times but the car was not fixed within those four repair attempts, and the issue continued to exist. 

What the Ford dealer should have done was to provide a loaner vehicle for Zack and Charlene until they got the Bronco fixed. There were clearly issues with the new Bronco that the Ford dealer could not resolve or fix quickly.  

It's Your Turn.

Have you had issues with the 2024 Ford Bronco or another Ford vehicle? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.

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I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Zack Launius and Ford