Ford bulletin SSM 51947
What it saysSome 2015-2019 F-Super Duty and 2015-2020 F-150/Mustang vehicles may require replacement of the powertrain control module (PCM) for various reasons. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 27, 2023, received Oct 6, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 26 model years (2016–2020). 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 communicationSome 2015-2019 F-Super Duty and 2015-2020 F-150/Mustang vehicles may require replacement of the powertrain control module (PCM) for various reasons. While performing a programmable module installation (PMI) using the Integrated Diagnostic Service (IDS) scan tool, an error message may state: Configuration Failed, Would You Like To Retry? This may be due to improper module replacement steps. Make sure that the original module is installed in the vehicle, delete the vehicle session, then start a new vehicle session. Once the session starts, run the PCM PMI and install the new PCM only when the scan tool instructs. Finish the PMI by following the prompts given by IDS. If the original PCM is not available, it is possible to configure the module by running as-built programming on the PCM. When IDS asks to obtain part numbers or configuration data, select configuration data.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51947 | Service bulletin | Sep 27, 2023 | 10243652 | PDF, 29 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2016 Ford F-550 SD; 2017 Ford F-550 SD; 2018 Ford F-550 SD; 2019 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.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 22 model years this bulletin names have filed 13,625 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 910 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 2016 Ford F-150, the 97 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 40,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
This vehicle is equipped with a feature that shuts the engine and ignition off after 30 minutes of idle without driver interaction. These vehicles have "up-fitter switches" which can be tied to things like auxiliary warning lights. When the vehicle shuts down, the headlights/tail lights turn off as well as power to any auxiliary loads.
2018 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 14, 2019 · ODI 11186789
I got the truck back from the place I bought it, after they called me saying that it was recalls that the Ford agency didn't do, I bought the truck a week ago from this post, my truck came equipped with birds eye camera, meaning that I have front, sides, back and on top of the cabin, cameras, they are not working at all, besides the…
2019 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 29, 2019 · ODI 11276954
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that the key would remain stuck in the ignition switch and was unable to release when the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was advised the vehicle had ignition failure due to an unknown cause. The vehicle was not repaired.
2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 26, 2018 · ODI 11065018
In depth: 2020 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2019 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2018 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2017 Ford F-150 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group234 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26-2431 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason for update: update the Service procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with new Ford D… |
| TSB 26-2439 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and radio system… |
| SSM 55255 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 360-degree camera may exhibit a distorted or corrupted 360-degree camera image in the c… |
| TSB 26-2442 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement abov… |
| SSM 55239 | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a trailer brake control module and built on or before 08-May-2026 may exhibit a "Trailer… |
| SSM 55237 | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Mustang GTD vehicles built on or before 28-Sep-2026 may exhibit one or more of the following hydraulic system warning message… |
| 25E10-S1 | Emissions | Sep 30, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-20… |
| SSM 55208 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-150, 2025 Explorer/Aviator, 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator, or 2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble co… |
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 51947 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 51947 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 51947 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 26 model years: 2020 Ford F-150, 2019 Ford F-150, 2018 Ford F-150, 2017 Ford F-150, 2016 Ford F-150, 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.