Ford bulletin SSM 51653
What it says2020-2023 Escape/Explorer, 2021-2023 F-150 and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with a full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) powertrain may exhibit a cable connection error screen from the Midtronics xRC-3363 High… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 22, 2023, received May 31, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 13 model years (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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communication2020-2023 Escape/Explorer, 2021-2023 F-150 and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with a full hybrid electric vehicle (FHEV) powertrain may exhibit a cable connection error screen from the Midtronics xRC-3363 High Voltage Battery Rescue Charger. The xRC-3363 will prompt the Technician to verify the low voltage connections, when no actual fault is present. The technician will need to delete the WiFi connection from the xRC-3365 so it will not automatically reconnect and adjust the date. Next go to Settings>Shop Information>Date/Time Settings and change the date prior to May 1, 2023 and stay off the internet so it will not auto correct itself. Press and hold the power button until the tool turns off. Then turn the xRC-3365 back on and attempt the rescue charge.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51653 | Service bulletin | May 22, 2023 | 10236590 | PDF, 54 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 13 model years this bulletin names have filed 8,647 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,391 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 Explorer, the 61 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 12,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Vehicle wouldn't start using push button start, several modules/components reported errors: traction control, parking break, steering, shifting. The vehicle drove fine less than 24 hours prior to 3/3/2024. Following a week at the dealership, Ford Motor Company and the Ford dealership determined the main wiring harness was the culprit.
2023 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 22, 2024 · ODI 11578835
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 · ODI 11537342
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 · ODI 11663389
In depth: 2023 Ford Escape electrical problems → · 2022 Ford Escape electrical problems → · 2021 Ford Escape electrical problems → · 2020 Ford Escape electrical problems →
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 group273 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2449 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2428. Reason for update: to update the Service Procedure to remove the fuel tank isolation valve replacement and… |
| 26-2431 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason for update: update the Service procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with new Ford D… |
| SSM 55256 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2027 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power folding mirrors may exhibit concerns with the auto foldi… |
| TSB 26-2442 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement abov… |
| SSM 55221 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | For 20222026 vehicles equipped with a 8F35 transmission, a revision to the Road Testing Vehicle procedure has been made in the WSM, Section… |
| SSM 55220 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Expedition/Navigator vehicles may experience Android Auto connection or general Bluet… |
| 25E10-S1 | Emissions | Sep 30, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-20… |
| 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… |
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 51653 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 51653 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 51653 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 13 model years: 2023 Ford Escape, 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape, 2020 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Explorer, 2022 Ford Explorer and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.