Ford bulletin 23B33
What it saysCertain 2022 Model Year Explorer Police Utility Vehicles Cargo Dome Light Replacement NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 28, 2023, received Aug 3, 2023, about the equipment. It names 1 model year (2022). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationCertain 2022 Model Year Explorer Police Utility Vehicles Cargo Dome Light Replacement
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23B33 | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2023 | 10240412 | PDF, 1,058 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Customer Satisfaction Program 23B33”.
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| MB5Z-13776-AA | Cargo Dome Light | 1 | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (13 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Ford’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 273 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the equipment
Source: same model, same component group15 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (equipment), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52476 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2024 | All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory install… |
| 22M03 S1 | Service bulletin | Apr 12, 2024 | Certain 2017-2020 Model Year Continental and Super Duty, 2018-2020 Navigator, 2020 Aviator, and 2020 Explorer Vehicles Replace Front and/or… |
| 22G07 S1 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2024 | Certain 2020-2022 Model Year Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles Equipped with a Low Band Frequency Noise Suppression Kit - Electromagnetic… |
| SSM 52390 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 Explorer vehicles built on or after 31-Jul-2023… |
| TSB 24-2043 | Service bulletin | Feb 22, 2024 | This article supersedes TSB 23-2208 to add 2024 model year vehicles. Some 2020-2024 Explorer/Aviator non-hybrid vehicles may exhibit radio s… |
| TSB 23-2307 | Service bulletin | Oct 5, 2023 | Some 2019-2020 Edge/F-150/Fusion/Continental/MKZ/Nautilus, 2019-2021 Mustang/Ranger/Transit Connect, 2020-2021 EcoSport/Escape/Expedition/Ex… |
| TSB 23-2301 | Service bulletin | Sep 28, 2023 | Some 2022-2023 Explorer vehicles built on or before 01-Jun-2023 may exhibit a buzz/vibration/rattle from the center left of the IP during ti… |
| SSM 51945 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2023 | 2020-2023 Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may require level III ballistic panels to be replaced due to broken mounting tabs. Level III b… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ford, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford 23B33 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 23B33 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does 23B33 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2022 Ford Explorer. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.