Another Ford Recall Takes Aim at Buggy Backup Cameras, This Time in the Bronco

47,036 Broncos will require a software update so their backup cameras can function properly in four-wheel-drive-low mode.

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Ford Bronco four-door in green rear quarter view
Image: Ford

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.

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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.

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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.