There are 5 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 1996 Ford Broncoin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TRANSMISSION JUMPS OUT OF OVERDRIVE, AFTERWARDS HARD SHIFTS IN ALL GEARS AFTER HIGH RPMS. THE FIX IS TO STOP, CUT THE ENGINE OFF AND THE TRANSMISSION RESETS FOR LACK ON A BETTER TERM. WHEN THE BRONCO IS IN OD AND IS JUST CRUSING, NOT IN A PULL, IS WHEN THE OD JUMPS OUT. LIKE ANY OTHER THING IT DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.
WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED THE CONSUMER NOTICED A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION BUT HE'S NOT 100% SURE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *NLM
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER TRIED TO ENGAGE 4-WHEEL DRIVE, AND 4-WHEEL WOULD NOT ENGAGE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD LIGHT INDICATED THAT THE 4 WHEEL WAS ENGAGED, BUT IT WAS NOT. THIS DEFECTIVE SYSTEM COULD GIVE YOU A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY IF YOU WERE TO BELIEVE THE INDICATION LIGHT. THE CONSUMER WAS REQUESTING THE MANUFACTURER TO REPLACE THE FAULTY SYSTEM AT NO COST. *YH
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY FORD BRONCO JUMPED OUT OF PARK WHILE RUNNING. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL BACK INTO A DITCH CAUSING AROUND 2,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE THAT I CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS VEHICLE DOING THIS OR I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT. I WISH FORD WOULD FIX MY VEHICLE AND REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. PLEASE WORK THIS PROBLEM AND GET BACK TO ME, LUCKY NOBODY WAS HURT IN THIS ONE. *AK
TRANSMISSION E40D MODEL WITH OVERDRIVE FAILED. ONGOING PROBLEM. MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD E40 TRANSMISSION FAILURES. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026