Ford over-the-air update ABS-25.AR
What it saysQuality improvements include: -Addresses a false positive Diagnostic Trouble Code due to high sensitivity that may cause a hard brake pedal and some lamps in the cluster. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Oct 13, 2025, received Oct 17, 2025, about the service brakes — 1 document under this number: ABS-25. AR Explorer. It names 1 model year (2025). An over-the-air update is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationQuality improvements include: -Addresses a false positive Diagnostic Trouble Code due to high sensitivity that may cause a hard brake pedal and some lamps in the cluster. Issue gets resolved in the next key cycle -Addresses key off load battery usage caused by the Electric brake boost stsying active
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS-25. AR Explorer | Over-the-air update | Oct 13, 2025 | 11024362 | PDF, 23 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 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 109 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 20 of them name Service Brakes — 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.
Brake system Fault - no power assist. While the Deputy was driving his vehicle every light on the dash lit up and it said all systems were not working. He stated that only brakes he had were the regenerative brakes for the electric motors. He stated that he turned the car off for 10 minutes and everything worked again.
2025 Ford Explorer · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Jun 15, 2026 · ODI 11744180
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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54682 | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | Some 2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine and built on 22-Dec-2025 and through 02-Feb-2026 may exhibit an illuminated anti-loc… |
| SSM 51261 | Service bulletin | Dec 16, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
| SSM 51120 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
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 ABS-25.AR a recall?
No. A over-the-air update 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 ABS-25.AR repair free?
A over-the-air update is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does ABS-25.AR cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Explorer. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.