Ford bulletin SSM 51649
What it saysSome 2021-2023 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 10R140 transmission may exhibit harsh or delayed engagement/shift concerns. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 19, 2023, received May 23, 2023, about the power train. It names 20 model years (2021–2023). 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.
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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.
Some 2021-2023 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 10R140 transmission may exhibit harsh or delayed engagement/shift concerns. Most concerns may be addressed with the PCM/TCM Transmission Accelerated Main Control Break In Routine. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 307-01, DTC Chart and/or Diagnosis By Symptom to identify the clutch(s) to be cycled. This routine cycles the shift solenoids and clutch control valves to remove contamination that may be sticking the valves and must be performed along with an adaptive learning drive cycle before attempting internal service. Although this routine was developed for low mileage vehicles, it has proven effective for resolving many shift and engagement symptoms across the life of the vehicle. For claiming, use causal part 7A100 and applicable labor operations in Section 7 of the Service Labor Time Standards Manual.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51649 | Service bulletin | May 19, 2023 | 10236586 | PDF, 55 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: 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-600 SD; 2022 Ford F-600 SD; 2021 Ford F-650 SD; 2022 Ford F-650 SD; 2023 Ford F-650 SD; 2021 Ford F-750 SD; 2022 Ford F-750 SD; 2023 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 639 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 85 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 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 · ODI 11514343
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 · ODI 11511226
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-350 SD. The contact stated that there was a whirring sound coming from the vehicle since the vehicle was purchased. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure persisted.
2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 4, 2025 · ODI 11640691
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 group64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55218 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | For 20202026 vehicles equipped with the 10R140 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford… |
| TSB 26-2088 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 1, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 24-2249. Reason for update: update the claim quantity of the torque converter nuts, part number and claim quantity… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
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 51649 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 51649 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 51649 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 20 model years: 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2021 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.