Ford bulletin SSM 51996
What it saysSome 2020-2023 Escape/Corsair vehicles may exhibit a condition where the vehicle drifts left and right within the vehicle's lane while the lane keeping assist is active. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 17, 2023, received Nov 3, 2023, about the lane departure. It names 8 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2023). 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.
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 2020-2023 Escape/Corsair vehicles may exhibit a condition where the vehicle drifts left and right within the vehicle's lane while the lane keeping assist is active. The lane keeping aid assists the driver by providing steering torque to help the driver keep the vehicle in the lane when it detects unintentional drifting toward the outside of the lane. Additionally, adaptive cruise control with lane centering provides constant steering torque to keep the vehicle centered in the lane while cruise control is engaged. These are operating characteristics of the lane keeping systems. Refer to the Owner's Manual for complete description of the operation of these systems. Do not attempt diagnosis or repairs or submit a claim for this condition. Inform the customer that the lane keeping system is only an aid, and their hands should stay on the steering wheel at all times while driving.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51996 | Service bulletin | Oct 17, 2023 | 10244853 | PDF, 39 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.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 4 model years
Lincoln 4 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 8 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,080 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 10 of them name Lane Departure — 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.
The lane keeping system in my 2023 ford escape hybrid platinum keeps me too far to the left. When driving the lane keeping system keeps me too close to the center lane marker.
2023 Ford Escape · Lane Departure · filed with NHTSA Feb 5, 2025
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 lane departure
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (lane departure), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54720 | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2026 | Various 2020-2026 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (BLIS) may experience an inoperative blind spot moni… |
| TSB 25-2249 | Service bulletin | Jun 9, 2025 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Various driver assistance f… |
| TSB 24-2251 | Service bulletin | Aug 22, 2024 | This article supersedes TSB 24-2087 to update the vehicle lines, model years affected, action and service procedure. Some 2021-2024 Mustang… |
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 51996 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 51996 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 51996 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 8 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2023 Ford Escape, 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape, 2020 Ford Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2022 Lincoln Corsair and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.