Ford bulletin SSM 51829
What it saysSome F-Super Duty and F-150 vehicles equipped with trailer tow mirror may exhibit various exterior rear view mirror functional concerns that require replacement after diagnosis. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 1, 2023, received Aug 14, 2023, about the equipment. It names 35 model years (2017–2023). 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.
Get the next Ford bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome F-Super Duty and F-150 vehicles equipped with trailer tow mirror may exhibit various exterior rear view mirror functional concerns that require replacement after diagnosis. To properly determine if the defect is warrantable, cleaning and close inspection of the affected mirror may be required. To aid in proper warranty determination, the Rear-View Mirror Analysis general service bulletin (GSB) has been updated with a detailed cleaning procedure that should be followed prior to any inspection. New labor operations (17682ZZ or 17682ZZT) have been created that covers the cleaning and inspection process and may be used even if condition of failure is non-warrantable. Ford has inspected numerous returned parts and determined many cases are caused by damage which is unwarrantable and may be subject to chargeback. Refer to the latest version of the GSB on OASIS.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51829 | Service bulletin | Aug 1, 2023 | 10240719 | PDF, 30 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.
Find the rearview mirrors/devices for the 2023 F-150 →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 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.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new Ford bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 28 model years this bulletin names have filed 13,670 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 311 of them name Visibility/Wiper — 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 2018 Ford F-150, the 43 owners who gave an odometer reading for Visibility/Wiper reported it at a median of 36,100 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The truck had been parked in my driveway and I went out to get something out of it. I closed the driver door like normal and the rear window blew out upon closing. The ambient air was probably 72 degrees and it was around 8pm. The trucks interior was the same as ambient temperature. Furthermore, it does not have a rear defroster
2018 Ford F-150 · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Jun 11, 2018 · ODI 11101071
Issue #1: Rain Sensing Wiper function is completely inoperable. Wipers must be operated manually. Issue #2: Blinker stalk becomes stuck in off and on positions. This malfunction has put myself and others at risk because the vehicle, at times, is unable to inform others on the road of the appropriate vehicle lane change.
2023 Ford F-150 · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Dec 8, 2023 · ODI 11559185
This vehicle, which is otherwise required to have one, was delivered for lease with an inoperative backup camera on august 24, 2020. The camera is on back order from the manufacturer. It was disclosed to me that multiple vehicles from this manufacturer were experiencing problems but were still being sold as new vehicles
2020 Ford F-150 · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Sep 25, 2020 · ODI 11361032
In depth: 2021 Ford F-150 visibility and wiper problems → · 2020 Ford F-150 visibility and wiper 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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24L01 | Service bulletin | Jun 24, 2024 | Certain 2023 Model Year Super Duty F450 - F550 Vehicles Equipped with a 6.7L Diesel Engine Certified Clean Idle Label Installation The aff… |
| TSB 24-2126 | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2024 | This article supersedes TSB 24-2093 to address the revised software and include affected 3.5L FHEV vehicles. Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles e… |
| TSB 24-2117 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2024 | Some 2024 F-150 non-Lightning vehicles equipped with minor feature codes C2BAW and FDDAA may exhibit an intermittent Trailer Brake System Fa… |
| TSB 24-2116 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2024 | Some 2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine may exhibit a Trailer Brake System Fault See Manual message in the instrumen… |
| 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… |
| 24U04 | Service bulletin | Apr 19, 2024 | Certain 2024 Model Year F-150, F-150 Lightning, F-150 Raptor, 2024 Ranger, 2024 Ranger Raptor Enhanced Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) |
| 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… |
| SSM 52370 | Service bulletin | Mar 19, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-150 and 2024 Bronco/Transit vehicles may exhibit Apple Carplay Bluetooth connectivity concerns. This may be due to the acce… |
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 51829 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 51829 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 51829 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 35 model years: 2023 Ford F-150, 2022 Ford F-150, 2021 Ford F-150, 2020 Ford F-150, 2019 Ford F-150, 2018 Ford F-150 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.