Ford over-the-air update BCM-26.DC
What it saysQuality improvements include: - Enables the Open On Approach feature on Platinum trim vehicles NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Sep 4, 2026, received Sep 11, 2026, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: BCM-26. DC 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: - Enables the Open On Approach feature on Platinum trim vehicles
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCM-26. DC Explorer | Over-the-air update | Sep 4, 2026 | 11037289 | 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 102 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 23 of them name Electrical System — 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.
Gateway module does not work. I've had my 2025 vehicle since 11/21/2024 (over 7 months) and it has never worked. I have not had a safety update since 05/2024 when it was at the factory. There has been many OTA updates and updates that need to be preformed at dealership and have not had any completed.
2025 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 4, 2025
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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group88 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55208 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-150, 2025 Explorer/Aviator, 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator, or 2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble co… |
| SSM 55172 | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | Some 2025 Aviator/Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit a "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" message and diagnostic… |
| TSB 26-2395 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | This article supersedes 26-2287. Reason for update: update the labor operation numbers to add MT to operations C, F, G, H, J, K, L and M, an… |
| SSM 55116 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2026 | Some of the following vehicles: * 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator built on or after 02-Feb-2025 * 2025-2026 F-Super Duty built on or after 0… |
| PSCM-26.AA | Over-the-air update | Aug 19, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Power Steering Control Module update to prepare the vehicle for a future BlueCruise enhancement |
| PHX-26.2.0.8 | Over-the-air update | Aug 10, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Minor infotainment system enhancements |
| TCU-26.2.11.5 | Over-the-air update | Aug 6, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses key off load battery usage caused by the Telematics Control Unit's Wi-Fi not powering down properly… |
| SSM 55071 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature intermitten… |
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 BCM-26.DC 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 BCM-26.DC 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 BCM-26.DC 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.