• Ford is recalling some 2021 and 2022 Broncos.
• The trouble is that the rearview camera may stop working under certain circumstances.
• Fortunately for owners, the repair can be done over the air.
The road continues to be bumpy for the Ford Bronco. The SUV is well into its second year on the market, in which time it has already been recalled for all sorts of problems (notably with its roof). Now Ford has announced another campaign, this time to fix a problem with the multimedia system that equips it, specifically in relation to the rearview camera.
Note that it's not the only vehicle on the market to be recalled to fix glitches in this area. With the technology that is increasingly present and evermore sophisticated with this kind of system, it's almost inevitable.
Except that in the case of the Bronco, it comes on top of several previous recalls. This is a model begging to be left alone.
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There’s good news in that not all variants are targeted. The recall impacts those 2021 and 2022 models equipped with the 8-inch screen. The issue is that the power to the rearview camera could be cut off, so that the image is not displayed. This, of course, goes against federal rules, both U.S. and Canadian, regarding the requirement for a vehicle to be equipped with a working rearview camera.
What's ironic about this problem is that according to Ford, it only manifests itself when the Bronco is used in low range (4L). Then, the rearview camera can also remain on once the vehicle is put back into forward gear. The company says it's a software issue that can be fixed with an over-the-air update
“The solution is a software update to the SYNC module that properly configures the system for vehicle operation in 4L mode,” says the report sent by Ford to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the equivalent of Transport Canada.
Ford will use the Ford Power-Up system to upgrade the SYNC module software for affected vehicles. Owners will also have the option of going to the dealership for the software upgrade if they wish. All of this will be free of charge, of course.
Owners will be notified in December. Note that if you own one of the affected Broncos and your model is already set up to receive the online updates, it should all happen without you noticing.
That's good news about recalls these days - some repairs can be done automatically over the air.