The unveiling of the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport undoubtedly stirred up a significant amount of hype in the auto industry. As a result, one Florida man recently purchased a Bronco Sport toward the end of 2020 to replace his current vehicle. After paying up and taking the brand-new SUV home, ABC Action News WFTS Tampa Bay reports that the dealership demanded it be returned immediately.

How do you end up with a forbidden 2021 Ford Bronco Sport?

As we move into the beginning of the year, more 2021 Ford Bronco Sport models are arriving at dealerships across the country. According to one Florida man, he got a call from the dealership confirming the SUV’s availability in December 2020. As a result, he quickly rushed to the dealership in question, ready to trade in his current ride, a Volkswagen Jetta. Additionally, the buyer placed a down payment of $2,500 before obtaining financing for the vehicle. The deal was signed on December 22nd, and the buyer drove off.

However, according to ABC Action News, this buyer got an unusual call the very next day from the Ford dealership. Apparently, the dealership wanted the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport returned immediately. The reason given was that the SUV in question should never have been sold in the first place. According to the dealership, this Bronco Spot was supposedly a display model sent by Ford to the dealership. The goal here was to display the vehicle for at least four months before selling it off.

Thanks to an understandable amount of frustration, this 2021 Ford Bronco Sport buyer reached out to the carmaker’s customer service line. ABC Action News reports that the buyer explained to Ford that he had already paid for the vehicle and did not want to return it. Despite this, the dealership pressed on, demanding the off-roading SUV be returned before 3 pm on Christmas Eve.

Did Ford take the SUV back?

Given the dealer’s reluctance to back down, this 2021 Ford Bronco Sport buyer decided to contact Jackie Callaway, a reporter for WFTS-ABC Action News. To investigate the matter, Callaway reportedly reached out to the parent company that owns the local Ford dealership. This was when the dealer confirmed that they had accidentally sold the buyer a display model. However, the report does not include any reasoning as to how this display model was sold in the first place.

Additionally, as Callaway dug deeper into this 2021 Ford Bronco Sport dilemma, she eventually received an email from Ford. Thankfully, the American carmaker worked things out with the dealership rather quickly. Despite being a display model, the SUV in question is a fully operational Bronco Sport. As a result, the buyer was able to keep their SUV in this case.

Could this happen to you?

If you’re looking at buying a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, chances are this won’t happen to you. On average, most display models are held inside of the dealership floor so buyers can sit in it and look at all of the available features on board. As a result, when you go in and purchase your vehicle, chances are you’ll be directed to an outside lot where all of the SUVs for sale are stored. So if you’re worried about this particular situation, you can always double-check with your salesman before signing any paperwork.