Ford Bronco: History, Generations & Specs

Key facts

Generations at a glance

The Bronco story by era

Ford introduced the Bronco for the 1966 model year as a compact 4x4 on a dedicated 92-inch-wheelbase chassis, sold as the doorless U13 roadster (1966-1968), the U14 half-cab pickup (1966-1972), and the U15 wagon (1966-1977). The half-cab was discontinued after 1972, leaving the wagon as the only body style from 1973 onward. This first generation ran through 1977 and is what enthusiasts call the "early Bronco." It used a Ford 9-inch rear axle for all years, a Dana 30 front axle from 1966 through 1970, the stronger Dana 44 front axle from 1971 onward, and gained power front disc brakes for 1976.

For 1978 Ford scrapped the small chassis and made the Bronco full-size, sharing the cab and front structure of the F-series pickup. This second generation (1978-1979) used the F-series "Dentside" body and lasted only two model years. The full-size Bronco then tracked the F-series through three more bodies: the Bullnose third generation (1980-1986), which introduced Twin-Traction Beam independent front suspension; the Bricknose fourth generation (1987-1991), which brought fuel injection and rear anti-lock brakes; and the OBS fifth generation (1992-1996), which added a driver airbag and was the final full-size Bronco before Ford ended the line.

Full-size Bronco vs. Bronco II vs. Bronco Sport

Three separate vehicles have worn "Bronco" branding. The full-size Bronco (1978-1996) is a large body-on-frame truck built on the F-series platform. The Bronco II (1984-1990) is a separate, smaller SUV built on the compact Ranger pickup platform, powered by Cologne V6 engines (2.8L for 1984-1985, 2.9L for 1986-1990); it was sold at the same time as the full-size truck, had a fixed roof, and was replaced by the Ford Explorer for 1991. The Bronco Sport, introduced for 2021 alongside the sixth-generation Bronco, is a unibody, car-based crossover on Ford's C2 front-drive architecture and shares no chassis with the body-on-frame Bronco. The first-generation Bronco (1966-1977) was also compact, but unlike the Bronco II it rode on its own dedicated 92-inch-wheelbase 4x4 chassis, not a pickup platform.

The 1996-2021 hiatus and the 2021 revival

Ford discontinued the full-size Bronco after the 1996 model year, with U.S. buyers shifting toward the four-door Expedition and Explorer SUVs; no vehicle wore the Bronco name for the 1997 through 2020 model years. Ford revived the Bronco for the 2021 model year as the sixth generation, a body-on-frame SUV offered in two-door and four-door forms with removable doors and roof panels. The revived Bronco uses 2.3L EcoBoost four-cylinder and 2.7L EcoBoost V6 engines, offers a seven-speed manual on the four-cylinder, includes the off-road-focused Sasquatch package, and added the high-output Bronco Raptor (3.0L EcoBoost V6) for 2022.

How to tell the Bronco generations apart

Size is the first cue: a Bronco on a 92-inch wheelbase with a one-piece removable top or open body is a first-generation early Bronco (1966-1977). Any large, F-series-sized two-door wagon with a removable rear top is a full-size Bronco (1978-1996), and the four full-size generations are told apart by their F-series sheetmetal: the Dentside (1978-1979), the Bullnose (1980-1986), the flush-headlamp Bricknose (1987-1991), and the rounded OBS (1992-1996). A small two-door SUV from the 1980s with Ranger styling is a Bronco II (1984-1990), not a full-size Bronco. A modern Bronco with boxy retro styling and removable doors is a sixth-generation truck (2021-2026), while a smaller rounded crossover badged Bronco Sport is the separate unibody model.

Frequently asked questions

What years was the Ford Bronco made?

The Ford Bronco was built for the 1966 through 1996 model years, then revived from 2021. The first generation ran 1966-1977, the full-size generations covered 1978-1996, and after a 25-year gap the sixth generation arrived for 2021. The separate Bronco II, a compact Ranger-based model, was sold 1984-1990.

Why did Ford stop making the Bronco?

Ford ended the full-size Bronco after the 1996 model year. The two-door body-on-frame format was losing ground to roomier four-door SUVs, and Ford's plant capacity and buyer demand were shifting to the Expedition and Explorer. No Bronco was built for the 1997 through 2020 model years until Ford revived the nameplate for 2021.

What is the difference between a Bronco and a Bronco II?

The full-size Bronco (1978-1996) is a large body-on-frame truck on the F-series platform. The Bronco II (1984-1990) is a separate, smaller SUV built on the compact Ranger pickup platform with Cologne V6 power. They were sold at the same time and are not the same vehicle; the Bronco II was replaced by the Ford Explorer for 1991.

Which Bronco generation is the O.J. Simpson Bronco?

The white Bronco from the June 1994 televised pursuit was a 1993 Ford Bronco, which belongs to the fifth generation (1992-1996), the "OBS" or Old Body Style full-size Bronco. It was the last full-size Bronco generation before Ford discontinued the line after 1996.

What is an OBS Bronco?

"OBS" stands for Old Body Style and refers to the fifth-generation full-size Bronco of 1992-1996, built on the rounded final-iteration F-series body. This generation added a driver-side airbag and a center high-mount stop lamp, and it was the last full-size Bronco Ford produced before the 1997-2020 hiatus.

Sources

• Ford factory shop manuals, parts catalogs, and sales literature for the Bronco and F-series
• VIN and door-data-plate body-code decoding (U13/U14/U15 first-generation series)
• Established Bronco reference works, owner registries, and club technical archives
• Period road tests and contemporary automotive press coverage