Ford bulletin SSM 51648
What it saysSome 2020-2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may experience a lack of power due to snow packing of the engine air cleaner when operating in extremely snowy conditions. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 17, 2023, received May 31, 2023, about the power train. It names 21 model years (2020–2022). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2020-2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may experience a lack of power due to snow packing of the engine air cleaner when operating in extremely snowy conditions. This may also be due to ice forming in the air intake while operating in temperatures below -22°F (-30°C). Diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P1548 may be present in the powertrain control module (PCM). To supplement heavy snow environment pre-filter service kit (service part LC3Z-9K635-AA), a front grill cover (service part NC3Z-19A413-A) is now available for service but is not a warrantable item. It is recommended that the front grill cover be removed at temperatures greater than 10°F (-12°C) and reinstall in subsequent winter seasons in order to maintain optimal vehicle performance.
Trouble codes it names: P1548
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51648 | Service bulletin | May 17, 2023 | 10236585 | PDF, 8 KB |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| LC3Z-9K635-AA | — | — | |
| NC3Z-19A413-A | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (1 page), 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.
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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: 2020 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2020 Ford F-600 SD; 2021 Ford F-600 SD; 2022 Ford F-600 SD; 2020 Ford F-650 SD; 2021 Ford F-650 SD; 2022 Ford F-650 SD; 2020 Ford F-750 SD; 2021 Ford F-750 SD; 2022 Ford F-750 SD.
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 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,012 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 209 of them name Power Train — 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 F-250 Super Duty, the 27 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 69,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
On 2 separate occasions (3-25-23, 3-26-23) the transmission was frozen in drive, could not bring it up to neutral ,reverse,or park. The first incident took about 10 minutes to put the truck in another gear. The second incident took about 20 minutes to engage in neutral and then another 20 minutes to engage the reverse mode.
2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V536000 (Power Train) 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 F-350 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse the vehicle, the engine revved but the vehicle would not move. The power train malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with number one planetary and ring gear assembly failure.
2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Dec 30, 2021
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group61 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2406 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| TSB 26-2252 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| SSM 55098 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 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… |
| TSB 26-2375 | Service bulletin | Aug 12, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 26-2050 to increase the labor operation allowance of labor operations A and B. Some of the vehicles listed in th… |
| SSM 54900 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 10R100 or 10R140 transmission may exhibit an intermittent failure to engage forward or… |
| SSM 54899 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-53 Motorhome Chassis/F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis and 2024-2026 F-650/F-750/E-Series vehicles equipped with a 6R140 tra… |
| TSB 26-2263 | Service bulletin | May 30, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2112. Reason For Update: add 2026 model year vehicles, update LV fluid XT-10-QLVC and CXT-10-LV6 description to… |
| TSB 26-2251 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2545. Reason for update: To correct the current Pinpoint Test description. Some of the vehicles listed in 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 SSM 51648 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 51648 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 51648 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 21 model years: 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.