The hood and front grille of a 2024 Ford Bronco Raptor shown from above. On June 18, Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group opened an investigation into fire events on certain Bronco models.This story was originally published on WardsAuto. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily WardsAuto newsletter.Dive Brief:Ford Motor Co. has recalled nearly 566,000 Bronco SUVs, including Raptor models, for a potential short in the engine compartment wiring harness that may lead to a fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.The recall population includes model year 2021-2026 Bronco SUVs built between September 2020 and June 2026, including Raptor trims. An estimated 1% of the vehicles is believed to have the defect.Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have repairs made, free of charge. The fix includes installing plastic sheathing with abrasion tape over the engine compartment wiring harness to prevent chafing. Notification letters will be mailed beginning Aug. 24.Dive Insight:Ford identified insufficient abrasion protection for the underhood wiring harness, and relative movement over time can lead to exposure of bare wiring. If a short circuit occurs, drivers may notice smoke coming from the air vents or flames coming from the passenger side engine compartment area. Intermittent shorts can also create arcing that can ignite nearby flammable components in the engine bay, per the report.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe wiring harness was sourced from Tier 1 supplier Aptiv, which has since spun off its electrical business as Versigent as of April 1.On June 18, Ford's Critical Concern Review Group opened an investigation to review fire events that occurred in 2021-2026 Bronco SUVs. Its investigators identified similarities in reported fires where some customers observed smoke in the air vent and flames coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment while driving. Further analysis of these incidents revealed evidence that at least some of the fires had originated in the passenger side of the engine compartment. Ford's CCRG identified seven Bronco Raptor fires and eight base model Bronco fires that may have started in this area, per the report. Ford's CCRG then inspected over 80 Bronco SUVs and found evidence of rubbing or chafing on the engine compartment wiring harness in a small number of them. As a result of its findings, Ford's CCRG began investigating potential root causes, and found that movement between the engine compartment wiring harness and surrounding components combined with insufficient abrasion protection on the wiring harness could lead to chafing. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe automaker's investigators also reviewed the differences in the physical architecture and suspension characteristics of Bronco Raptor SUVs compared to the base models.Ford's testing included computer aided engineering analysis and vibration testing to evaluate how these differences can impact the durability of the engine wiring harness and determined that Bronco Raptor trim SUVs were more likely to exhibit wiring chafing than base models.Ford has recently introduced a improved protective covering for the wiring harness of all Bronco models that offers better protection.Based on its findings, Ford's Field Review Committee approved the recall on July 13.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs of that date, Ford is aware of two warranty reports, three field reports, one customer service report, four vehicle owner questionnaires received by the NHTSA and 10 legal claims related to the problem on 2021-2026 Bronco models where evidence a fire event may have originated from the engine compartment wiring harness. These incidents occurred between October 15, 2024, and June 20, 2026. The automaker is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition.Ford said that all repaired vehicles will have sufficient protective covering of the engine compartment wiring harness to prevent chafing and short circuits.Ford previously recalled roughly 230,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport SUVs in November 2025 for a software error that may cause the instrument panel cluster to be blank upon startup.Recommended ReadingFord recalls nearly 388K SUVs for binding second-row seat switches',
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