Ford bulletin SSM 51598
What it saysSome 2020-2023 Escape/Corsair equipped with 2.5L engine full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with 2.5L engine FHEV powertrain… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 4, 2023, received May 16, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 7 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2023). 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.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Ford · Lincoln.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2020-2023 Escape/Corsair equipped with 2.5L engine full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with 2.5L engine FHEV powertrain may exhibit a condition where the 12V battery voltage is low or discharged with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U3003:62 stored in the direct current/direct current converter control module (DC/DC). The vehicle may also exhibit DTC U3003:16 and/or U3000:04 stored in the DC/DC module. This may be due to an open in the 300 amp mega fuse located in the high current battery junction box (BJB). To correct this condition, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 414-05>Pinpoint Test H1 to verify the 300 amp mega fuse condition, replace the fuse upon confirm it is open. Test and recharge the 12v battery.
Trouble codes it names: U3000 U3003
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51598 | Service bulletin | May 4, 2023 | 10236028 | PDF, 8 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 themFord 5 model years
Lincoln 2 model years
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 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,820 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 533 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.
On the 2020 Ford Escape, the 42 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 26,342 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I pulled my 2022 Maverick into my parking spot at work and everything went dead. I had to use my key to open my tailgate. The tow service jumped the battery and it started, however, when they went to take it off the tow truck at the Ford dealership, it had to be jump started again. I was told the battery was bad and they changed it.
2022 Ford Maverick · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V954000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
2021 Ford Escape · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 28, 2025
I started the Car and it made loud boom boom sounds like as if I was at a loud concert for about 10 seconds. That stopped but then loud static or electrical sound continued even after car was turned off. Re started and the sound continued. The initial sound shook me and wife. Where wife refuses to get back in.
2023 Ford Maverick · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 26, 2024
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 group107 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECG-26.2.12.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -ePrivacy enhancements |
| 26N15 | Other | Aug 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N15 Certain 2020-2026 Model Year Escape and 2021-2026 Model Year Corsair Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles… |
| SSM 55031 | Service bulletin | Jul 23, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 Ford/Lincoln vehicles may exhibit various symptoms including but not limited to the auto start/stop system not operating as i… |
| SSM 55021 | Service bulletin | Jul 20, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Bronco/Bronco Sport/Corsair/F-150/F-Super Duty/Maverick/Mustang/Mustang Mach-E/Ranger vehicles may exhibit a no audio/sound c… |
| SSM 55008 | Service bulletin | Jul 14, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 Ford vehicles may exhibit inoperative heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel and/or front/rear defrost features after a r… |
| GSM-26.P0929 | Over-the-air update | Jul 9, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Updates the gear shift lock diagnostic logic to prevent false wrench lights |
| 26E04 | Emissions | Jul 9, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 26E04 Certain 2021-2025 Model Year F-150, Maverick, Mustang, Ranger, Expedition, Bronco Sport… |
| SYNC-25.2.3.11.1 | Over-the-air update | Jun 29, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Resolves SiriusXM disk memory usage |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ford and Lincoln, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford SSM 51598 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 SSM 51598 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 SSM 51598 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape, 2020 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Maverick, 2022 Ford Maverick, 2022 Lincoln Corsair and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.