Sun shades for a Bronco, Maverick or Tacoma, and the hot-car warning

What the sun does to a parked truck

A truck parked in the sun takes most of its heat through the windshield. The light lands on the dash and the steering wheel first, then on the front seats. Over a summer of parking outside, that same light fades the dash, wears the seat covers and bakes the electronics you keep up front.

A windshield shade turns much of that light back before it reaches the cabin. You still climb into a warm truck on a hot day. The difference is a dash and a steering wheel that spent the afternoon out of direct sun.

Each of our shades is cut for one truck. That matters more than it sounds, because a shade that leaves wide gaps at the edges lets sun in exactly where the dash meets the glass. You can see all five on our shades, mounts and handles shelf.

Fitting a windshield shade

On a Bronco, our windshield sun shade is sized for the 2021–2026 2-Door and 4-Door. Spread it across the inside of the windshield when you park. It does not fit the Bronco Sport.

On a Maverick, the windshield sun shade leaves a gap for your dash cam, so the camera stays mounted with the shade up. Open the shade against the glass and fit it around the camera. The fabric is thick reflective polyester, made to resist fading through a hot season.

On a 2024–2026 Tacoma, our foldable windshield sunshade has three layers: reflective aluminum foil outside, a rigid foam core and soft felt facing the cabin. Unfold it with the felt toward you, then tuck it along the edges of the windshield. Its shaped edges leave smaller gaps. If your Tacoma has the factory dash camera, this shade will not fit, so look for the camera before you order.

1. 1

   Park, shift into park and turn the engine off before you reach for the shade.

2. 2

   Open the shade fully and set it against the inside of the windshield, reflective side out.

3. 3

   Work it into the corners and along the edges until it sits flat against the glass.

4. 4

   Leave the dash cam in its gap on a Maverick, and keep the shade off the camera lens.

Folding it away before you drive

A shade is for a parked truck only. Take it down and fold it before you start driving, so nothing blocks your view of the road.

The Bronco shade closes with a hook and loop fastener that has a wide contact area, so it does not unravel behind a seat. The Maverick and Tacoma shades each fold into the storage bag that comes with them. Keep the bag in one place, such as a door pocket or behind the rear seat, and you will put the shade up every time instead of only on the hottest days.

If the bag ends up loose in the bed, it becomes cargo like anything else. Our guide to tying down cargo in a Maverick or Tacoma bed covers keeping small gear from blowing out on the highway.

Shade overhead with the Bronco roof open

Driving a Bronco 4-Door with the roof off feels great until the sun sits straight above you. Two of our shades cover the roof opening, and they suit different tops.

The roof sunshade is made only for the 2021–2026 Bronco 4-Door with the hard top. It spans the whole roof and adds a longer leather visor at the front to keep direct sun off your arms. Zippered cutouts sit over the factory roof buckles, so the hard top comes off with the shade still in place. It goes on with hook and loop fastener and the pre-drilled screw holes, and it does not fit the soft top.

The full length sunshade is high-density mesh that covers the cabin from front to rear on a 2021–2026 Bronco 4-Door. Bungee cords hook to the original holes and pull the mesh tight at several points, so it stays flat and quiet at highway speed instead of flapping. You need no drill and no tools.

The mesh is thin enough to stay in place under the top. Release a few quick straps at the front and sides, and the hard top or the soft top goes back on over it. When a summer storm rolls in, that saves you from pulling the shade off in the rain.

1. 1

   Lay the full length shade across the open roof frame.

2. 2

   Hook the bungee cords to the original holes in your Bronco.

3. 3

   Snug the cords until the mesh sits flat, then look along it from the side for any loose edge.

No shade makes a parked car safe for a child or a pet

A sun shade keeps light off your dash. It does not keep a closed car cool enough for a person or an animal left inside. NHTSA's child heatstroke campaign says it plainly: rolling the windows down or parking in the shade does little to change the temperature inside the vehicle.

NHTSA's summer driving tips make the same point about mild days. Even when it is 60 degrees outside and the windows are cracked, the temperature inside a vehicle can quickly reach deadly levels.

For a child the margin is smaller. NHTSA says a child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult's. Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, and death occurs at 107 or above. In 2025, 31 children died of heatstroke in vehicles.

A shade protects the dash and the seats. It does nothing to make a parked truck safe for a child, a dog or a cat. If someone or something that breathes is riding with you, they get out when you do.

Habits that keep a child out of a hot car

Our own habit is simple: the windshield shade goes up last, after everyone and everything that breathes is out of the truck. NHTSA's heatstroke campaign asks for three more you can build into the way you leave your truck.

• Never leave a child alone in the vehicle for any length of time, not even for a quick errand.
• Look in the back seat before you lock up and walk away.
• Lock the truck whenever you are not using it.

Every product named here is part of the Mabett selection.