Ford bulletin SSM 51923
What it saysSome 2020-2022 Escape and 2021-2022 Corsair vehicles may exhibit a condition where the brake service mode is inoperative using the Workshop Manual (WSM) routine and/or Parking Brake Limited Function-Service Required… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 14, 2023, received Oct 4, 2023, about the service brakes. It names 5 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 communicationSome 2020-2022 Escape and 2021-2022 Corsair vehicles may exhibit a condition where the brake service mode is inoperative using the Workshop Manual (WSM) routine and/or Parking Brake Limited Function-Service Required message displayed in the instrumental panel cluster (IPC) after opening the drivers door. This may be due to the software installed in the anti-lock brake system (ABS) module. To correct this condition, reprogram the ABS module to the latest software available. For claiming, use causal part number 2C219 and the applicable labor operations in Section 02 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51923 | Service bulletin | Sep 14, 2023 | 10243535 | PDF, 63 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 3 model years
Lincoln 2 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 5 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,898 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 102 of them name Service Brakes — 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 2021 Ford Escape, the 17 owners who gave an odometer reading for Service Brakes reported it at a median of 5,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
when I am braking while slowing down on an offramp, the brakes will disengage, then hurry and reengaged. its only for a split second, but very scarry, this has happened 3 times. Then a few nights ago I was slowing down and had my foot on the brake very lightly, and the brakes caught and about threw me throw the windshield.
2022 Ford Escape · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Sep 14, 2023 · ODI 11544444
Received a notice that a recall was necessary to correct fuel vapor issues which might result in a fire. Simultaneously notified the dealer that the brake booster was defective. They agreed and both assured me the part had been delivered and subsequently informed me that the part for the brakes was defective.
2021 Ford Escape · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Dec 23, 2022 · ODI 11498629
Not often, but at least 1-2 times a year at slow speeds, the brakes fail to function. The pedal feels odd, and unresponsive usually under 5mph parking lot type speeds. Have to place car in park in order for it to stop. Had to dealer when I first got it almost 3yrs ago but they were unable ro duplicate.
2022 Lincoln Corsair · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Mar 7, 2025 · ODI 11647067
In depth: 2021 Ford Escape brake 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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 25-2248 | Service bulletin | Jun 9, 2025 | * This article supersedes TSB 23-2428 to update the service procedure and update labor times from actual time to actual time with a limit. S… |
| SSM 51261 | Service bulletin | Dec 16, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
| SSM 51120 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
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 51923 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 51923 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 51923 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape, 2020 Ford Escape, 2022 Lincoln Corsair, 2021 Lincoln Corsair. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.