Ford recalls small batch of Broncos for unsecured airbag sensors

Ford is recalling a relatively small number of Bronco SUVs (not to be confused with the Bronco Sport) to address the possibility that their side-impact sensors weren’t properly secured at the factory and managed to slip through the company’s quality control procedures without being addressed. Per Ford, just 1,226 of the trucks produced for the 2021 and 2022 model years may exhibit the issue, and it’s a relatively minor one — provided you don’t get T-boned, of course.

“Affected vehicles may have a right-hand and/or left-hand side impact sensor that is not properly secured to the vehicle,” Ford’s defect report said. “An unsecured side impact sensor may not properly detect certain side impact events. Incorrect side impact sensor readings could cause the affected air bags to unintentionally deploy or to not deploy when intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.”

Strangely, Ford says its quality control system actually identified and isolated the problem before the trucks ever left the plant, but along the line, somebody dropped the ball and the proper procedures were not followed to rectify the issue.

“Plant personnel identified certain vehicles that required secondary checks for an improper side impact sensor mounting installation. Although the improper side impact sensor mounting installation was detected by the vehicle assembly plant error-proofing process, inspection and repair instructions may have been misunderstood and the side impact sensor mounting assembly may not have been inspected or repaired,” Ford’s report said.