The wheel-arch flares are the Bronco Raptor’s signature — its attitude, its muscle. And now they’re the reason for a recall. Ford is calling back 36,046 Bronco SUVs with the Raptor package from the 2022–2026 model years: the flares can loosen and tear off while the vehicle is moving. Regular Broncos aren’t affected — only the Raptor.
Sounds harmless, right? No engine, no brakes. But that’s exactly the trap. A chunk of plastic that breaks free on the highway instantly becomes an obstacle for whoever is driving behind. And at high speed, where everything comes down to fractions of a second, that’s no small thing. Ford estimates that around 4% of the recalled batch is actually defective.
The root of the problem sits with a supplier. The Raptor’s flares are made by Ventra Evart (part of the Flex-n-Gate group) at its Michigan plant, and some of the tooling fell short of Ford’s specs. The result: mounting holes came out the wrong size, with burrs and stray fibers left inside. The retention clips barely grip a surface like that — hence the risk.
Ford sounded the alarm after a telling incident: in early 2026, a new Bronco Raptor lost a front flare at speed. What followed was an investigation, a stop-ship order at the plant and a tally of complaints. So far there are 370 warranty claims and dozens of field reports. The good news: no crashes, no injuries. The repair is free — dealers will inspect the fasteners, replace faulty clips and hardware with new push pins, and fit a new flare where needed.
The official campaign details: NHTSA lists it as 26V403, Ford’s internal code is 26S47. VINs will appear in the NHTSA database on August 7, 2026, interim letters go out to owners between August 10 and 14, and remedy notifications between August 31 and September 4. No need to wait for the letter — you can check your vehicle’s status by calling Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
