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According to one person on Facebook, the crispy Ford Bronco you see above and below is the result of a braking malfunction. In particular, the owner’s friend alleges that after the driver avoided hitting a deer, the ABS system failed and caused a series of issues that ultimately lead to a fire. The deer might have lived but the Bronco sure is as dead as it gets.
Posted on the Bronco 6th Gen page on Facebook, member David Hobbs says that his friend was behind the wheel when the incident took place somewhere in Iowa. “He had to slam on his brakes to miss a deer and 7 miles down the road the ABS locked up the brakes and burst the brake line and then shorted out and started it on fire,” says Hobbs.
While modern brake fluid is inflammable, it’s not wild to think of how hot components and a spark might find something to burn under the hood of a vehicle. Thankfully, Hobbs also reports that both occupants of the vehicle made it out safely before the fire reached the cab of the Ford SUV.
Read: Ford Must Recall Over 500,000 Escapes And Bronco Sports For Fire Risk
What we don’t know is exactly what caught on fire first, how the fire progressed, and whether or not this is a fluke or something that other Bronco owners need to be on the lookout for. Our Editor in Chief has been hunting down similar instances but found none that match exactly.
We do know that many of the 2.3-liter-equipped Ford Broncos have experienced a known issue with the brake vacuum booster line. In those cases, the pedal is often very hard to press but that doesn’t sound like what we’re hearing about here.
One poster on Bronco6g.com mentioned a situation with his 2.7-liter-equipped Bronco Badlands where the front ABS locked up the brakes so badly that he left skid marks on the road. What was absent from that report are any indications of a short circuit or a fire. The NHTSA has yet to post any such incidents either.
We’ve reached out to Ford, Mr. Hobbs, and the owner of this Bronco for more information and will report back as soon as we learn more.
Additional reporting by John Halas
