The Real Reason The Ford Bronco Was Discontinued After O.J. Simpson's Murder Trial
Nearly 30 years ago — in 1994 — a white Ford Bronco with O.J. Simpson as its passenger became the center of national media attention after a televised chase beamed live across America was watched by an estimated 95 million viewers. The infamous chase — eventually leading to Simpson's arrest — also resulted in heightened consumer interest in the 2-door compact SUV.
While the Ford Bronco was doing reasonably well before the televised chase, the sudden media attention led to a sudden sales spurt for the vehicle. Sales jumped from a respectable 30,000 units in 1993 to an impressive 37,000 units the following year. Such a sales spurt is usually unheard of in the automobile industry, and experts attributed the heightened media attention on the Bronco as one of the main reasons for the sales spike.
However, a little over two years after the chase, Ford abruptly pulled the plug on the Bronco lineup. It was rumored that negative press from the Bronco being part of the chase led to the demise of the model. This was a reasonable thought, given that the Bronco was still doing respectable numbers for Ford. In fact, in the last year of production (1996), Ford sold more than 28,000 units.
It would take Ford more than two decades — 25 years, to be precise — to revive the Ford Bronco marquee when the company relaunched the car as a compact SUV in 2-door and 4-door configurations in 2021. Despite its eventual comeback, questions remain about Ford's 1996 decision to discontinue the Bronco. Did it really have anything to do with the O.J. Simpson chase? Let's investigate.
Why the 1996 Ford Bronco was really discontinued
Ford's 1996 decision to pull the plug on the Ford Bronco evoked mixed reactions from the public and auto enthusiasts. While several people assumed the car's involvement in the O.J. Simpson chase as the primary reason behind the car's discontinuation, senior Ford officials from that era have confirmed that the incident did not have anything to do with the eventual discontinuation.
In 2014, USA Today quoted Mark Schirmer — former communications manager at Ford — who revealed that long before the O.J. Simpson chase and its fallout, Ford had already decided to reduce its focus on two-door SUVs.
"We had decided to move away from the two-door, two-row, large SUV. It was already fading in customer popularity long before O.J. made it a celebrity," Shirmer said.
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In 1996, the American car market was moving towards larger cars — but with a focus on vehicles that had four doors and three rows of seats suited for large families. Following the Bronco's discontinuation, its space was quickly filled by other models from Ford's lineup— including the likes of the Ford Explorer and the Ford Expedition.
In fact, Ford wasn't the only automaker doing this in the mid to late 90s. This was around the same time General Motors discontinued the two-door Blazer and replaced it with the four-door Tahoe, and Toyota discontinued the two-door 4Runner in 1995.
As outlined earlier, Ford eventually brought back the Ford Bronco in 2021 when the car returned as a two and four-door midsize SUV. The car has been doing quite well since its comeback, with sales touching the 100,000 mark in 2022 and 2023.