Ford bulletin SSM 51837
What it saysSome 2023 Transit vehicles built on 15-Mar-2023 and through 02-Jun-2023, equipped with SYNC 3 Lite (4 inch center display screen), with rear parking aid, and without front parking aid may exhibit a parking aid disable… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 2, 2023, received Aug 14, 2023, about the equipment. It names 1 model year (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 Transit bulletin 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 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 Transit vehicles built on 15-Mar-2023 and through 02-Jun-2023, equipped with SYNC 3 Lite (4 inch center display screen), with rear parking aid, and without front parking aid may exhibit a parking aid disable switch in the front controls interface module B (FCIMB) that is inoperative and does not disable the reverse parking aid system when desired. This may be due to the configuration of the park aid module (PAM). To correct this condition, download and run the PAM Park Aid Module (PAM) Configuration application in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) diagnostic scan tool. For claiming, use causal part 15K866 and applicable labor times in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51837 | Service bulletin | Aug 2, 2023 | 10240722 | 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.
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.
Email me new Ford bulletins for the Transit
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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 61 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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group11 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Transit 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… |
| 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… |
| SSM 52280 | Service bulletin | Feb 21, 2024 | Some 2021-2024 Mustang Mach-E, 2022-2024 E-Transit/F-150 Lightning vehicles may have diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P1A3C stored in the off-b… |
| SU4 P2 TRANSIT | Service bulletin | Oct 11, 2023 | Software Update SU4 P2 for 2022 Transit Vehicles is now available. Quality improvements include: -Various Android Auto and Apple Carplay q… |
| 23B04 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2023 | Certain 2023 Model Year Transit - Missing Rear Vinyl Floor Covering |
| SSM 51937 | Service bulletin | Sep 20, 2023 | Some vehicles equipped with power folding mirrors may exhibit power folding mirrors that are inoperative or exhibit a clicking sound. This m… |
| SSM 51762 | Service bulletin | Jul 3, 2023 | Some 2021-2023 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 4 may exhibit the navigation feature in the center display screen only displayin… |
| SSM 51760 | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2023 | Some 2022-2023 Transit vehicles, excluding cutaway and chassis cab body vehicles, equipped with a rear-view camera level 2 system only and 1… |
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 51837 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 51837 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 51837 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Ford Transit. 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 Transit: built 15 Mar 2023 – 2 Jun 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.