Ford bulletin SSM 51900
What it saysSome 2023 Escape vehicles built on or before 03-May-2023 and not equipped with a keyless entry keypad may exhibit the door keypad code menu item being shown in vehicle settings menu of the center display screen. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 30, 2023, received Sep 4, 2023, about the latches/locks/linkages. 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.
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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 Escape vehicles built on or before 03-May-2023 and not equipped with a keyless entry keypad may exhibit the door keypad code menu item being shown in vehicle settings menu of the center display screen. This may be due to the configuration of the SYNC module (APIM). To correct this condition, download and run the APIM - SYNC Module Configuration application in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). For claiming, use causal part 14G670 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 51900 | Service bulletin | Aug 30, 2023 | 10241624 | 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.
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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 139 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 61 of them name Electrical System — 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 2023 Ford Escape, the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 15,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
After incomplete over-the-air (OTA) update instrument panel cluster (IPC) fails to illuminate and only chimes when powered. Vehicle drives normally, but no speed, fuel, warning telltales shown to the driver. Safety issue as the driver is not informed of this critical vehicle information
2023 Ford Escape · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 31, 2026 · ODI 11760838
In depth: 2023 Ford Escape electrical 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 latches/locks/linkages
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Ford Escape under the same component group (latches/locks/linkages), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 23-2156 | Service bulletin | May 19, 2023 | Some 2020-2023 Escape/Corsair, 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles may exhibit a condition where the door(s) do not open… |
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 51900 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 51900 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 51900 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Ford Escape. 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 Escape: built on or before 3 May 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.