Ford bulletin 26L01
What it saysCertain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Interval Change NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Aug 25, 2026, received Sep 1, 2026, about the engine. It names 7 model years (2018–2024). A manufacturer communication 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 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 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Interval Change
Trouble codes it names: P0016 P0017 P0018 P0019 P033F all 5 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | 11036545 | PDF, 748 KB |
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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2018 Ford Ranger.
A 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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 625 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 78 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.
On the 2019 Ford Ranger, the 13 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 28,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
There is a long whining noise before it shifts does this every time when accelerating rather it be at stop light or slowing down before accelerating again. I have driven loaners exact model and it did not do it but in mine it did. It is a issue if it is doing in one vehicle and not the other
2019 Ford Ranger · Engine · filed with NHTSA Feb 22, 2020 · ODI 11310763
Went on a trip with the vehicle. When returning to home put the vehicle in the garage. Came out the next day and the Garage smelled like a gas can. Looked all around could not find signs of the gas. Got in the truck and was overwhelmed by gas smell. Moved the vehicle out of the garage.
2022 Ford Ranger · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 12, 2024 · ODI 11582507
The engine 'start-stop' feature is permanently 'ON' . The ability to temporarily disable it has been removed by a Ford software update. Case #00715259 was opened with Ford, vehicle taken to Capitol Ford, Carson City NV, for verification.
2022 Ford Transit · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 14, 2025 · ODI 11680702
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 group22 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… |
| 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 54690 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2026 | Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may… |
| SSM 54544 | Service bulletin | Feb 2, 2026 | Some 2025 Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagn… |
| SSM 54451 | Service bulletin | Dec 18, 2025 | Some 2025 Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with only… |
| SSM 54363 | Service bulletin | Nov 10, 2025 | Some 2021-2025 Expedition/Navigator/F-150/F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome/F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis/F-650/F-750/Transit vehicles equipped… |
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 26L01 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication 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 26L01 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 26L01 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2022 Ford Ranger, 2021 Ford Ranger, 2020 Ford Ranger, 2019 Ford Ranger, 2024 Ford Transit, 2022 Ford Transit and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.