Ford bulletin SSM 51790
What it saysSome 2022-2023 Bronco vehicles built on 01-Sept-2022 and through 20-Mar-2023 may exhibit an intermittent illuminated hood ajar indicator on the instrument panel cluster and/or a false alarm activation caused by a hood… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 14, 2023, received Jul 18, 2023, about the latches/locks/linkages. It names 2 model years (2022–2023). 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 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 2022-2023 Bronco vehicles built on 01-Sept-2022 and through 20-Mar-2023 may exhibit an intermittent illuminated hood ajar indicator on the instrument panel cluster and/or a false alarm activation caused by a hood ajar event. This may be due to an internal failure of the hood latch while the hood remains properly latched. To correct the condition, replace the hood latch (service base part number 16700). For claiming, use the causal part number 16700 and applicable labor operations in Section 12 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51790 | Service bulletin | Jul 14, 2023 | 10239481 | 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 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 617 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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 latches/locks/linkages
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Ford Bronco under the same component group (latches/locks/linkages), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52258 | Service bulletin | Feb 13, 2024 | Some 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles may exhibit a parasitic battery draw. This may be due to an interior door lock switch on the driver's and pas… |
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 51790 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 51790 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 51790 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco. 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: 2022-2023 Bronco: built 1 Sep 2022 – 20 Mar 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.