Ford bulletin SSM 51998
What it saysSome 2023 Escape/Corsair vehicles built on 6-Apr-2023 and through 11-May-2023 and 2023 Bronco Sport/Maverick vehicles built on 30-Jan-2023 and through 6-Jun-2023 may exhibit an illuminated air bag warning indicator… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 19, 2023, received Nov 3, 2023, about the air bags. It names 4 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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 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.
Some 2023 Escape/Corsair vehicles built on 6-Apr-2023 and through 11-May-2023 and 2023 Bronco Sport/Maverick vehicles built on 30-Jan-2023 and through 6-Jun-2023 may exhibit an illuminated air bag warning indicator with DTC B0082:1A stored in the restraints control module (RCM). This may be due to an issue with the passenger seatbelt retractor at connector C303B. If a connection issue is found, replace the passenger front seatbelt retractor and pretensioner assembly before attempting a wiring repair. This issue does not affect the proper operation of the air bags, retractor and pretensioner. Refer to the Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-20A Seatbelt Systems > Removal and Installation. For claiming, use causal part 78611B08 and applicable labor times in Section 12 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Trouble codes it names: B0082
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 51998 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2023 | 10244854 | PDF, 46 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 3 model years
Lincoln 1 model year
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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 673 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 208 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.
The contact owns a 2023 Lincoln Corsair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V091000 (Electrical System); 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.
2023 Lincoln Corsair · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 22, 2026 · ODI 11752196
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact was informed by his wife that when the start button was depressed, there was a loud boom coming from the vehicle. There was an odor of smoke coming into the cabin of the vehicle, but there was no smoke present. There was also a sizzling sound coming from the vehicle.
2023 Ford Bronco Sport · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 5, 2024 · ODI 11569967
I started the Car and it made loud boom boom sounds like as if I was at a loud concert for about 10 seconds. That stopped but then loud static or electrical sound continued even after car was turned off. Re started and the sound continued. The initial sound shook me and wife. Where wife refuses to get back in.
2023 Ford Maverick · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 26, 2024 · ODI 11616721
In depth: 2023 Ford Escape electrical problems → · 2023 Ford Maverick 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.
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 51998 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 51998 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 51998 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Maverick, 2023 Lincoln Corsair. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.