Ford bulletin 23B42
What it saysCertain 2023 Model Year Explorer, Bronco, Ranger Vehicles Equipped with 2.3L Gas Engine - Engine Long Block Replacement NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 26, 2023, received Nov 2, 2023, about the engine. It names 3 model years (2023). 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.
Get the next Ford bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Customer Satisfaction Program 23B42 Certain 2023 Model Year Explorer, Bronco, Ranger Vehicles Equipped with 2.3L Gas Engine - Engine Long Block Replacement
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23B42 | Service bulletin | Oct 26, 2023 | 10244692 | PDF, 498 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Customer Satisfaction Program 23B42”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| CU7Z-19B508-A | — | — | |
| XO-5W30-Q1SP | — | — | |
| XO-5W30-Q1FS | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (15 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the engine block heater for the 2023 Bronco →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.
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.
Email me new Ford bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 363 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 35 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Vehicle purchased in May 2023 (51323) at koons silver spring. Vehicle had computer and 'random stalling' issues where the car would not start/stay on in August 2023. Called dealership, vehicle towed to Koons for repair. Service team said they could not replicate issue.
2023 Ford Explorer · Engine · filed with NHTSA Nov 3, 2023 · ODI 11553342
Appx 73000 Miles truck developed shudder (felt like transmission jumping gears) under moderate acceleration. Gently Drove home, no other shudder. Called dealer who said to drive it in. Noted a missfire warning on phone app, also stated to gently drive to dealer.
2023 Ford Ranger · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 9, 2026 · ODI 11755726
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group42 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55228 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Aviator/Explorer/F-150/Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L (non-diesel) engine may need the front engine cove… |
| SSM 55217 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2020-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with 3.0L EcoBoost/hybrid engine may exhibit blue or black exhaust smoke on startup for th… |
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Inter… |
| TSB 26-2372 | Service bulletin | Aug 13, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2301. Reason for update: to update the Pinpoint Tests referenced in Step 1. Some of the vehicles listed in the M… |
| TSB 26-2349 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2415. Reason for update: To add production build dates of the right-side engine valve cover. Some of the vehicle… |
| 25B51 | Other | May 9, 2026 | Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco, 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport, 2020-2022 Model Year Corsair and Escape, 2016-2024 Model Year Explor… |
| SSM 54795 | Service bulletin | May 4, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine may… |
| SSM 54774 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator (MIL) lamp with engine… |
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 23B42 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 23B42 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 23B42 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2023 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Explorer, 2023 Ford Ranger. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.