1996 Ford Bronco Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 22about this part
- Share
- 27%of 81 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 138,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 1996 Ford Bronco, 27% of the 81 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 138,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 18 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving, came home at 11pm, at 11:30pm the horn was blowing on my 1996 Ford Bronco, went outside to find it had completely burned in a fire - sitting in my driveway, not running, keys out of the vehicle. Had to call fire company to extinguish, police were here also - did some internet searching to find this is a major issue, was recommended to report to you.”
NHTSA complaint #10231901, filed 2008-06, 160,000 miles“1996 Ford Bronco caught fire over weekend while my family and I were driving home. Monday Ford had it towed into the local dealership to repair and now, three days later they are telling me that they will not repair it since I knew about the problem. I argued that I had no idea and they say that they mailed me a card at the end of 2007. The vehicle is at the dealership and they want me to come pay cash for the reapairs. Please help.”
NHTSA complaint #10323252, filed 2010-03, 209,650 miles“While cleaning my 96 Bronco I noticed smoke coming out of the left side of the hood. After opening it, I saw the cruise control box to be smoking heavily. I poured water on it and cooled down the superheated device. Except for the cruise control not working, I did not encounter any other problems. Lately I've been reading about investigations into potential systematic defects of the cruise control of Ford trucks and extensive recalls due to that problem. The symptoms described are matching what happened to my car - I seem to just have been lucky to be present. …”
NHTSA complaint #10122538, filed 2005-05, 84,000 miles“Drove 1996 Ford Bronco 3 blocks and parked it in closed up garage. Came back a few days later and found it burnt up. Fire burnt under hood and dash. It scorched the vehicle parked next to it and damaged inside of garage.”
NHTSA complaint #10248962, filed 2008-11, 140,000 miles“The Ford Bronco was sitting in front of my car. Overnight the car caught fire and burned the front console of the car and below the dashboard. The hottest point of the fire was underneath the hood where the metal turned white and destroyed the paint. A claim filed with Ford was filed after the recall for the cruise control switch was issued a few weeks after the fire. Ford denied the claim because they could not locate the switch, which, accordingly to the local Ford dealership, was not in the engine block.”
NHTSA complaint #10151714, filed 2006-03, 140,000 milesRelated recalls
- 05V388000Sep 7, 2005On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.Covers: Ford Bronco 1994–1996, F-150 1994–2002, F-250 1994–1999 +3 more
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 9% |
| 2024 | 2 | 2% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0% |
| 2022 | 7 | 2% |
| 2021 | 5 | 2% |
| 1996 | 22 | 27% |
| 1995 | 14 | 15% |
| 1994 | 9 | 10% |
| 1993 | 1 | 3% |
| 1991 | 4 | 13% |
| 1990 | 4 | 7% |
| 1989 | 2 | 2% |
| 1987 | 4 | 12% |
| 1986 | 2 | 7% |
Other parts of the 1996 Ford Bronco
16 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
13 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
8 complaintsSuspension
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsTires
4 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Ford Bronco
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology