Ford bulletin SSM 51812
What it saysSome 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, 2021-2022 Bronco Sport, and 2022 Maverick vehicles built on or before 23-Mar-2022 may exhibit a hard, stiff, and/or difficult to turn condition due to a lack of power steering assist… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 24, 2023, received Jul 25, 2023, about the steering. It names 9 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2022). 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 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, 2021-2022 Bronco Sport, and 2022 Maverick vehicles built on or before 23-Mar-2022 may exhibit a hard, stiff, and/or difficult to turn condition due to a lack of power steering assist during engine start-up with U3000 diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) stored in the PSCM. Using the latest version of Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) tool, select and run the PSCM - Reset the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) application. After PSCM reset, perform an ignition cycle. Update the PSCM to the latest software level using FDRS tool. If the U3000 DTC returns, continue with diagnostics and repair direction using Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 211-02 > Power Steering > Diagnosis and Testing. For claiming, use causal part 3C529 and applicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Trouble codes it names: U3000
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51812 | Service bulletin | Jul 24, 2023 | 10239630 | PDF, 62 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 themFord 6 model years
Lincoln 3 model years
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 4,595 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
The steering has developed a clicking/wind up noise while turning around 4000 miles. The vehicle is available for inspection. The vehicle was brought to the dealer twice. The noise was able to be heard, and seems to be an issue with a few bronco sports on their lot. The dealer noted “operating normally”
2022 Ford Bronco Sport · Steering · filed with NHTSA Dec 17, 2022
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 steering
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (steering), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54918 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | Some of the following vehicles: 2025-2026 Mustang Mach-E vehicles built on or before 27-Jan-2026 2025-2026 Maverick/Bronco Sport vehicles b… |
| TSB 25-2574 | Service bulletin | Nov 27, 2025 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2347 to update the vehicle build dates Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a… |
| SSM 52486 | Service bulletin | Apr 25, 2024 | Some 2023 Bronco Sport vehicles which require replacement of the SCCM may experience an error message when performing the programmable modul… |
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 51812 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 51812 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 51812 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 9 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape, 2020 Ford Escape, 2022 Ford Maverick and more. 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 Maverick: built on or before 23 Mar 2022 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.