Anyone else having trouble with gear delays?

I’ve got a 2022 OBX and recently noticed a small issue while driving. Whenever I’m going at lower speeds, especially in stop-and-go traffic, I feel a delay when I try to speed up again after slowing down. It’s like when you release the clutch too early in a manual car. It didn’t happen often at first, but now it’s happening almost every day, even at higher speeds like 30-45 mph.

I took it to the dealer, and they said it’s because the transmission is electronic and the computer takes a bit to respond to the pedal. They didn’t find any error codes, so they just left it at that.

I checked some Ford forums, and I found a similar issue with the Escape. People are saying it’s normal, but I’m not sure how true that is. The Bronco and Escape seem to be similar in a lot of ways, so maybe that’s why.

Has anyone else had this happen? Did you find out what’s causing it or get it fixed? I’ve only had my Bronco for just under two years.

Thanks in advance for any advice :blush:

P.S. It only happens in normal mode. When I switch to sport, slippery, or sand, I don’t feel the delay.

I’ve noticed something similar where the RPMs hang for a bit while the transmission seems to be deciding on a gear. I was told this is normal too, but I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem right.

Lyle said:
I’ve noticed something similar where the RPMs hang for a bit while the transmission seems to be deciding on a gear. I was told this is normal too, but I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem right.

Same here, feels like it takes a moment before it finally kicks in. Switching to Sport mode seems to fix it for me.

Rylan said:

Lyle said:
I’ve noticed something similar where the RPMs hang for a bit while the transmission seems to be deciding on a gear. I was told this is normal too, but I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem right.

Same here, feels like it takes a moment before it finally kicks in. Switching to Sport mode seems to fix it for me.

I tried Sport mode today while driving in stop-and-go on the highway. The delay was gone, but I still felt a little jerk when it was shifting into gear. It’s definitely better than the normal mode though, so I guess that’ll have to work for now.

Mackenzie said:

Rylan said:
Lyle said:
I’ve noticed something similar where the RPMs hang for a bit while the transmission seems to be deciding on a gear. I was told this is normal too, but I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem right.

Same here, feels like it takes a moment before it finally kicks in. Switching to Sport mode seems to fix it for me.

I tried Sport mode today while driving in stop-and-go on the highway. The delay was gone, but I still felt a little jerk when it was shifting into gear. It’s definitely better than the normal mode though, so I guess that’ll have to work for now.

Yeah, I started using Sport mode a couple weeks ago after reading about it here. Definitely a big improvement over the lag.

Lyle said:
I’ve noticed something similar where the RPMs hang for a bit while the transmission seems to be deciding on a gear. I was told this is normal too, but I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem right.

That sounds off. Have you taken it to Ford to get checked out?

My 2023 does the same thing in normal mode. I was told it’s just a quirk of the engine and doesn’t happen in Sport or other modes. If it bugs you a lot, maybe stick with Sport, but you’ll lose a few miles per gallon.

Wei said:
My 2023 does the same thing in normal mode. I was told it’s just a quirk of the engine and doesn’t happen in Sport or other modes. If it bugs you a lot, maybe stick with Sport, but you’ll lose a few miles per gallon.

Ugh, looks like Sport mode might be the only option then.

I’ve had the same issue at low speeds, but I haven’t taken it in yet.

Remy said:
I’ve had the same issue at low speeds, but I haven’t taken it in yet.

From what I’m seeing, everyone with a 1.5 liter engine is having this issue. We’re all being told it’s just a delay, and everyone seems to recommend using Sport mode in traffic. I tried it today, and it definitely helped.

Mackenzie said:

Remy said:
I’ve had the same issue at low speeds, but I haven’t taken it in yet.

From what I’m seeing, everyone with a 1.5 liter engine is having this issue. We’re all being told it’s just a delay, and everyone seems to recommend using Sport mode in traffic. I tried it today, and it definitely helped.

Now that you mention it, I didn’t notice any delays when I was in slippery mode during really bad traffic last week. It was awful, stuck for six hours.

Remy said:

Mackenzie said:
Remy said:
I’ve had the same issue at low speeds, but I haven’t taken it in yet.

From what I’m seeing, everyone with a 1.5 liter engine is having this issue. We’re all being told it’s just a delay, and everyone seems to recommend using Sport mode in traffic. I tried it today, and it definitely helped.

Now that you mention it, I didn’t notice any delays when I was in slippery mode during really bad traffic last week. It was awful, stuck for six hours.

Oh wow, six hours of traffic sounds rough! I can barely handle my 45-minute commute. But yeah, I don’t feel the delay in any mode except normal. ‘Normal’ doesn’t seem so normal after all.

Mackenzie said:

Remy said:
Mackenzie said:
Remy said:
I’ve had the same issue at low speeds, but I haven’t taken it in yet.

From what I’m seeing, everyone with a 1.5 liter engine is having this issue. We’re all being told it’s just a delay, and everyone seems to recommend using Sport mode in traffic. I tried it today, and it definitely helped.

Now that you mention it, I didn’t notice any delays when I was in slippery mode during really bad traffic last week. It was awful, stuck for six hours.

Oh wow, six hours of traffic sounds rough! I can barely handle my 45-minute commute. But yeah, I don’t feel the delay in any mode except normal. ‘Normal’ doesn’t seem so normal after all.

Yeah, my usual drive is less than 30 minutes, but that snow and ice in Vancouver made it a nightmare. At least the Bronco Sport is comfy for long trips.

I’ve had the same issue and was also told it’s normal.

Spencer said:
I’ve had the same issue and was also told it’s normal.

Try switching to Sport mode. I didn’t feel it at all today in traffic on the highway.

You’re right about the Bronco Sport and Escape sharing a lot of parts, including most of the drivetrain. What’s happening in normal mode is the engine is trying to save fuel, so there’s some lag between the engine, transmission, and turbo. The 1.5L engine also has cylinder deactivation, which means the software has to reactivate it, and that takes a couple of seconds.

I didn’t like this, so I went with the Badlands trim. The 1.5L engines always felt sluggish to me, but a lot of people don’t mind it. I guess it depends on what you’re used to.

Sam said:
You’re right about the Bronco Sport and Escape sharing a lot of parts, including most of the drivetrain. What’s happening in normal mode is the engine is trying to save fuel, so there’s some lag between the engine, transmission, and turbo. The 1.5L engine also has cylinder deactivation, which means the software has to reactivate it, and that takes a couple of seconds.

I didn’t like this, so I went with the Badlands trim. The 1.5L engines always felt sluggish to me, but a lot of people don’t mind it. I guess it depends on what you’re used to.

Besides this issue, I haven’t had any trouble with power. I’ve been looking at the Badlands trim though. Do you still get the features from the OBX? I love the front camera and rock crawl mode but also can’t live without heated seats.

Mackenzie said:
I’ve got a 2022 OBX and recently noticed a small issue while driving. Whenever I’m going at lower speeds, especially in stop-and-go traffic, I feel a delay when I try to speed up again after slowing down. It’s like when you release the clutch too early in a manual car. It didn’t happen often at first, but now it’s happening almost every day, even at higher speeds like 30-45 mph.

I took it to the dealer, and they said it’s because the transmission is electronic and the computer takes a bit to respond to the pedal. They didn’t find any error codes, so they just left it at that.

I checked some Ford forums, and I found a similar issue with the Escape. People are saying it’s normal, but I’m not sure how true that is. The Bronco and Escape seem to be similar in a lot of ways, so maybe that’s why.

Has anyone else had this happen? Did you find out what’s causing it or get it fixed? I’ve only had my Bronco for just under two years.

Thanks in advance for any advice :blush:

P.S. It only happens in normal mode. When I switch to sport, slippery, or sand, I don’t feel the delay.

That sounds like cylinder deactivation. Basically, it runs as a 2-cylinder engine when you’re just cruising, then kicks the 3rd cylinder back in when you need to speed up.

I’ve got the Badlands trim with a 2.0L 4-cylinder, and I’m glad I didn’t go for the smaller engine. Sure, I get fewer miles per gallon, but I don’t have to deal with the lag.

Madden said:

Mackenzie said:
I’ve got a 2022 OBX and recently noticed a small issue while driving. Whenever I’m going at lower speeds, especially in stop-and-go traffic, I feel a delay when I try to speed up again after slowing down. It’s like when you release the clutch too early in a manual car. It didn’t happen often at first, but now it’s happening almost every day, even at higher speeds like 30-45 mph.

I took it to the dealer, and they said it’s because the transmission is electronic and the computer takes a bit to respond to the pedal. They didn’t find any error codes, so they just left it at that.

I checked some Ford forums, and I found a similar issue with the Escape. People are saying it’s normal, but I’m not sure how true that is. The Bronco and Escape seem to be similar in a lot of ways, so maybe that’s why.

Has anyone else had this happen? Did you find out what’s causing it or get it fixed? I’ve only had my Bronco for just under two years.

Thanks in advance for any advice :blush:

P.S. It only happens in normal mode. When I switch to sport, slippery, or sand, I don’t feel the delay.

That sounds like cylinder deactivation. Basically, it runs as a 2-cylinder engine when you’re just cruising, then kicks the 3rd cylinder back in when you need to speed up.

I’ve got the Badlands trim with a 2.0L 4-cylinder, and I’m glad I didn’t go for the smaller engine. Sure, I get fewer miles per gallon, but I don’t have to deal with the lag.

Yeah, seems like losing a bit of fuel efficiency is worth it to avoid the 1.5L’s issues.

Mackenzie said:

Madden said:
Mackenzie said:
I’ve got a 2022 OBX and recently noticed a small issue while driving. Whenever I’m going at lower speeds, especially in stop-and-go traffic, I feel a delay when I try to speed up again after slowing down. It’s like when you release the clutch too early in a manual car. It didn’t happen often at first, but now it’s happening almost every day, even at higher speeds like 30-45 mph.

I took it to the dealer, and they said it’s because the transmission is electronic and the computer takes a bit to respond to the pedal. They didn’t find any error codes, so they just left it at that.

I checked some Ford forums, and I found a similar issue with the Escape. People are saying it’s normal, but I’m not sure how true that is. The Bronco and Escape seem to be similar in a lot of ways, so maybe that’s why.

Has anyone else had this happen? Did you find out what’s causing it or get it fixed? I’ve only had my Bronco for just under two years.

Thanks in advance for any advice :blush:

P.S. It only happens in normal mode. When I switch to sport, slippery, or sand, I don’t feel the delay.

That sounds like cylinder deactivation. Basically, it runs as a 2-cylinder engine when you’re just cruising, then kicks the 3rd cylinder back in when you need to speed up.

I’ve got the Badlands trim with a 2.0L 4-cylinder, and I’m glad I didn’t go for the smaller engine. Sure, I get fewer miles per gallon, but I don’t have to deal with the lag.

Yeah, seems like losing a bit of fuel efficiency is worth it to avoid the 1.5L’s issues.

No regrets going with the Badlands. I regularly haul stuff and tow, so the extra power is a must for me. I used to drive a Forester XT with similar specs, and the 2.0L engine in the Bronco Sport feels about the same.

I do find it funny that the full-size Bronco with a 2.7L engine gets almost the same mileage as my 2.0L. Ford doesn’t seem too worried about making the Badlands more fuel-efficient. I’m hoping they’ll put the 2.3L engine in the next Bronco Sport.