Ford bulletin SSM 51691
What it says2011-2023 F-Super Duty and 2016-2024 F-650/F-750 vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may exhibit an elevated idle condition. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 8, 2023, received Jun 16, 2023, about the engine. It names 53 model years (2016–2023). 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.
2011-2023 F-Super Duty and 2016-2024 F-650/F-750 vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may exhibit an elevated idle condition. During prolonged idle time, vehicles may experience this elevated idle to reduce unburned hydrocarbons from the SCR. The powertrain control module estimates hydrocarbon levels in the SCR and may increase idle speed to remove them. Idle speed will be increased to 1000 RPM for ambient temperatures near 26°C (80°F) and may increase to 1200 RPM at -40 °C (-40°F). Vehicles may exhibit exhaust smoke and diesel exhaust fluid smell during elevated idle condition. Exhaust smoke and smell condition will not affect reliability or durability of the engine. Power take-off (PTO) use and idle set point control will disable elevated speed. It is required that the operator monitor the vehicle and adhere to any Exhaust Filter warning messages.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51691 | Service bulletin | Jun 8, 2023 | 10237789 | PDF, 63 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.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2016 Ford F-550 SD; 2017 Ford F-550 SD; 2018 Ford F-550 SD; 2019 Ford F-550 SD; 2020 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2019 Ford F-600 SD; 2020 Ford F-600 SD; 2021 Ford F-600 SD; 2022 Ford F-600 SD; 2023 Ford F-600 SD; 2016 Ford F-650 SD; 2017 Ford F-650 SD; 2018 Ford F-650 SD; 2019 Ford F-650 SD; 2020 Ford F-650 SD; 2021 Ford F-650 SD; 2022 Ford F-650 SD; 2023 Ford F-650 SD; 2016 Ford F-750 SD; 2017 Ford F-750 SD; 2018 Ford F-750 SD; 2019 Ford F-750 SD; 2020 Ford F-750 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 24 model years this bulletin names have filed 5,649 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 468 of them name Power Train, Engine — 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 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty, the 29 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 52,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-450SD. The contact stated while driving 50-65 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power and the instrument panel lights started flickering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart, and the contact resumed driving.
2022 Ford F-450 Super Duty · Engine · filed with NHTSA Feb 6, 2025 · ODI 11641049
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality once the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power train control module (PCM).
2020 Ford F-450 Super Duty · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 23, 2025 · ODI 11638026
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
In depth: 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty transmission and drivetrain 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 engine
Source: same model, same component group39 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26N03 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N03 Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles w/ 6.7L Diesel Engines Diesel Particulate Filter Replac… |
| 26E02 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 26E02 Certain 2016-2019 F-650 - 750 and 2017-2019 F-350 - 550 Vehicles Equipped With 6.7L Diesel… |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| 25N14 | Other | Jun 24, 2026 | Certain 2022 Model Year F-250 - F-600 with 6.7L Diesel Engines One-Time Replacement for Diesel Particulate Filter Assembly Failures, If Re… |
| 25E09 | Emissions | Jun 24, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 25E09 Certain 2022 Model Year F-250 - F-600 Vehicles with 6.7L Engines Powertrain… |
| TSB 26-2256 | Service bulletin | Jun 19, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2572 to update the Parts List to correct the part number LC3Z-6006-L to LC3Z-6781-A, remove the flex plate bo… |
| 22N05-S3 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 22N05 - Supplement #3 Certain 2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel Engine One-Time Replacement for Dies… |
| SSM 54690 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 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… |
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 51691 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 51691 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 51691 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 53 model years: 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2018 Ford F-250 Super Duty and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.