Ford bulletin SSM 51713
What it saysSome 2023 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 13-May-2023 may exhibit the power liftgate not fully opening when commanded and the vehicle is locked. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 14, 2023, received Jun 30, 2023, about the equipment. It names 2 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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 communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some 2023 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 13-May-2023 may exhibit the power liftgate not fully opening when commanded and the vehicle is locked. This condition does not affect vehicle durability and no additional diagnosis or service is recommended for this condition at this time. Inform customers that they can continue to drive the vehicle and engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition. Replacement or reprogramming of the rear gate trunk module (RGTM) is not recommended for this condition. Monitor OASIS for additional information and schedule service appointments for customers once the repair becomes available.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51713 | Service bulletin | Jun 14, 2023 | 10237968 | PDF, 28 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 1 model year
Lincoln 1 model year
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1 of them name Structure — 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.
My son was getting into the front passenger door after school today and went he stepped up on the auto running boards it closed on his foot crushing his foot in between the vehicle and running board. The running board would not release.
2023 Lincoln Navigator · Structure · filed with NHTSA Sep 22, 2026 · ODI 11766178
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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group26 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (equipment), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52476 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2024 | All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory install… |
| 22M03 S1 | Service bulletin | Apr 12, 2024 | Certain 2017-2020 Model Year Continental and Super Duty, 2018-2020 Navigator, 2020 Aviator, and 2020 Explorer Vehicles Replace Front and/or… |
| 23B90 | Service bulletin | Mar 22, 2024 | Customer Satisfaction Program 23B90 Certain 2023 Model Year Expedition Vehicles - Missing Rear Cargo Mat |
| OTAPU102410CHAUE | Service bulletin | Mar 16, 2024 | Quality Improvements include: - Fix the no audio out of random speakers issue. |
| TSB 24-2028 | Service bulletin | Mar 11, 2024 | This article supersedes 23-2266 to update the vehicle model years affected to include 2024 model year. Some 2022-2024 Expedition/Navigator v… |
| SSM 52326 | Service bulletin | Mar 4, 2024 | Some 2022-2023 Expedition/Navigator built on or before 20-Apr-2023 equipped with SYNC 4 may experience SiriusXM® 360L missing one or more of… |
| SSM 52241 | Service bulletin | Feb 7, 2024 | Some 2022-2024 Expedition vehicles equipped with an analog camera and a 12 inch center display screen may exhibit a rear camera image that t… |
| SSM 52115 | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2023 | 2023 F-Super Duty, 2023-2024 Expedition and 2024 Nautilus vehicles will exhibit no light emitting diode (LED) confirmation from the key fob… |
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 51713 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 51713 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 51713 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2023 Ford Expedition, 2023 Lincoln Navigator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2023 Expedition/Navigator: built on or before 13 May 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.