Ford Patents Built-In Recovery Point — Could This Be Coming to the Bronco?
Ford has been busy dreaming up new ideas for its future vehicles, and its latest patent could be especially interesting to Bronco owners who actually use their rigs off-road.
A newly published Ford patent outlines an integrated recovery attachment built into a vehicle’s rear hitch receiver, potentially giving drivers a convenient place to connect a soft shackle, recovery line, or anchor without first installing a separate hitch-mounted recovery point.
And naturally, our first question at BroncoBusting is:
Could this eventually find its way onto the Ford Bronco?
A Recovery Point That's Already There
Anyone who spends time off-road knows that recovery gear isn't something you want to think about after you're buried in mud or stuck on an obstacle.
Ford's proposed system essentially incorporates an additional recovery attachment into the hitch assembly itself. According to the patent coverage, the attachment could accommodate equipment such as a soft shackle or anchor, providing an integrated option for recovering the vehicle—or potentially helping recover somebody else's vehicle.
That could eliminate the need to carry a separate receiver-mounted recovery block for situations where an appropriate rear recovery connection is needed.
For a vehicle like the Bronco, that makes a lot of sense.
Ford Is Clearly Thinking About Off-Road Accessories
This isn't the only recent Ford patent aimed at making life easier for people who take their vehicles beyond the pavement.Ford has also explored a dual-purpose climbing ladder and recovery board, according to Ford Authority. The concept could allow an owner to use the same piece of equipment to reach roof-mounted cargo and as a recovery device when traction disappears.
We've also recently covered Ford's patent activity involving Bronco door storage, including an integrated cargo-area system designed to secure removed doors behind the rear seats.
Put all these ideas together and an interesting theme starts developing:
Ford appears to be exploring ways to integrate more of the equipment off-road enthusiasts normally purchase separately directly into the vehicle.
Imagine This on a Future Bronco
This is where things get interesting.Picture taking your Bronco out on the trail and getting buried in some deep mud. Instead of digging through your recovery equipment for a hitch-mounted shackle receiver, you already have a purpose-designed attachment integrated into the hitch assembly.
Grab the appropriate recovery gear, connect it to the designated recovery point, and you're ready.
For Bronco owners who routinely carry recovery equipment, that's the type of seemingly small feature that could actually be useful.
It could also be particularly attractive on future Bronco Badlands, Sasquatch, Raptor or other off-road-focused models, where buyers already expect equipment designed specifically for trail use.
Don't Head to the Ford Dealer Just Yet
There's one major catch.This is a patent—not a product announcement.
The patent was filed on March 17, 2025 and published on September 17, 2026. Ford has not announced that the integrated recovery attachment will appear on the Bronco—or on any production Ford vehicle.
Ford also routinely points out that patent applications protect ideas and intellectual property and shouldn't be interpreted as confirmation of future production plans.
So there's no guarantee we'll ever see it.
But we'd certainly like to.
BroncoBusting Take
This is exactly the kind of feature we'd like to see Ford bring to the Bronco.The Bronco was designed around removable doors, removable roof panels, trail accessories and factory off-road capability. An integrated recovery attachment seems like a natural extension of that philosophy.
And considering Ford's recent patents involving Bronco door storage and other adventure-oriented equipment, we're going to keep watching these filings closely.
Sometimes a patent disappears into a filing cabinet forever.
Other times, today's strange-looking patent drawing becomes tomorrow's factory feature.
So what do you think?
Would you want Ford to integrate a dedicated soft-shackle recovery attachment into the Bronco's factory hitch?
Or would you rather keep recovery points simple and use your own aftermarket setup?
Sound off in the BroncoBusting.com forums.
