Ford bulletin SSM 51944
What it says2022-2023 Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines should add local fuel once the vehicle arrive to the dealership to reduce the risk of driving performance issues such as: rough operation, idle… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 22, 2023, received Oct 5, 2023, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 4 model years (2022–2023). 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 NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
2022-2023 Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines should add local fuel once the vehicle arrive to the dealership to reduce the risk of driving performance issues such as: rough operation, idle quality, engine misfires, lack or loss of engine power. These conditions may occur due to different fuel specifications between manufacturing plant and final market. Make sure that the vehicles in stock have local fuel added.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51944 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2023 | 10243611 | 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,060 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 252 of them name Fuel/Propulsion 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 2022 Ford Escape, the 21 owners who gave an odometer reading for Fuel/Propulsion System reported it at a median of 49,100 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
2022 Ford Bronco Sport · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Feb 9, 2023 · ODI 11506359
I want to hold Ford accountable for Recall 23S27. Ford continues to miss their own planned dates to come up with a solution. I want them to buy back their Lemon at Fair Trade-In Value per KBB, which is $30,500. This reminds me of the Ford Pinto fiasco many years ago. Thanks
2022 Ford Escape · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Dec 14, 2023 · ODI 11560111
Our brand new 2023 Ford Bronco Sport was destroyed by a spontaneous under-the-hood fire that occurred within thirty days of delivery and with less than 50 miles on the odometer. An independent examination found this consistent with a fuel injector fire.
2023 Ford Bronco Sport · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Jan 18, 2024 · ODI 11566257
In depth: 2023 Ford Bronco Sport fuel system problems → · 2022 Ford Bronco Sport fuel system problems → · 2022 Ford Escape fuel system 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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group13 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55177 | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Maverick and 2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with an 8-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) display may exhibit a conditio… |
| SSM 54963 | Service bulletin | Jun 23, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Maverick and 2026 Transit/Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with an 8-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) display may exhibit a… |
| SSM 54857 | Service bulletin | May 21, 2026 | 2020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped wi… |
| 23B64 | Other | Apr 8, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 23B64 Certain 2020-2024 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Equipped with High Voltage Batteries Battery Energ… |
| SSM 54615 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2021-2026 Corsair vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine may exhibit a fuel door that won't open with diagnostic tro… |
| SSM 54610 | Service bulletin | Feb 27, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Escape/Corsair PHEV only vehicles built on 21-Jul-2025 and through 27-Oct-2025 may exhibit an intermittent no crank/no start… |
| SSM 54586 | Service bulletin | Feb 16, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Escape/Maverick/Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with an 8-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) display may exhibit a condition… |
| TSB 25-2584 | Service bulletin | Dec 13, 2025 | Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble… |
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 51944 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 51944 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 51944 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Escape, 2022 Ford Escape. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.