Ford Bronco Hardtop Cracks Badly in Sub-Zero Winter Temperatures

Ford has had issues with Bronco hardtops before, but this is on another level.

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Ford Bronco Hardtop Cracks Badly in Sub-Zero Winter Temperatures © Ford Bronco Hardtop Cracks Badly in Sub-Zero Winter Temperatures

Temperatures over the weekend in New England were extreme. One owner of a 2021 Ford Bronco claims they were so extreme that it did some serious damage to his off-roader's roof. The truck, parked outdoors just north of Boston, suffered a huge crack on the rear panel of the plastic top, allegedly as a result of the cold. Other Broncos—primarily soft tops—have had issues before to due the wind and snow, but we haven't seen anything like this before.

The owner of the vehicle, who prefers to be identified only by his first name, Frankie, states he went outside to his truck on Sunday morning following the bitter temperatures on Friday and Saturday. That's when he noticed the damage to his two-door Badlands' roof. Like us, he's seen plastic Bronco tops with minor cracks online but not "anything this bad."

Frankie

It's unclear at this point if other trucks have suffered similar damage due to the extreme cold. Temperatures near where Frankie lives in Andover got as low as -9 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend before spiking up to 50 degrees on Sunday.

I reached out to Ford for comment, and a spokesperson responded: "We test to -40 degrees and have never seen this condition before. The customer should visit his local dealer so a replacement top can be ordered free of charge."

Frankie said his local dealer was initially hesitant to approve a warranty claim because they deemed it a cosmetic issue. However, Ford reached out to him directly saying they'll get involved if needed.

"I had someone from Ford’s SUV team call me and tell me that if it gets denied as a warranty claim to call her back and Ford may provide financial assistance, but she doesn’t foresee it being denied by the warranty department," Frankie added.

In the meantime, Frankie's first priority is to keep his roof dry. He says he took the truck to the dealer primarily to get it under a roof. He currently does not have access to covered parking, and he's clearly worried about what rain or snow might do to the top. "I have to leave it in my driveway, I have nowhere else to put it," he told me.

A tarp may be in his future.

Updated at 10:22 a.m. ET on 02/08/2023: Frankie reached out as our story was published to say the dealer ordered a new roof for his Bronco. What’s more, they’re storing it for him and giving him a loaner until it’s road-ready.

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