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Manufacturer communication · Service bulletin

Ford bulletin SSM 52009

What it saysSome 2023 Transit Connect vehicles built on 31-Oct-2022 and through 01-Sep-2023 may exhibit a condition where the remote start feature is inoperative using the FordPass mobile application. NHTSA’s full summary ↓

Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 23, 2023, received Nov 3, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 1 model year (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 communication
Built 2023 Transit Connect vehicles: Oct 31, 2022 – Sep 1, 2023 “Some 2023 Transit Connect vehicles built on 31-Oct-2022 and through 01-Sep-2023 may exhibit a condition where the remote start feature is inoperative using the FordPass mobile application.”

What 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 Transit Connect vehicles built on 31-Oct-2022 and through 01-Sep-2023 may exhibit a condition where the remote start feature is inoperative using the FordPass mobile application. The settings to enable/disable remote start may also not be available within the instrument panel cluster (IPC) message center menu. This may be due to incorrect configuration data being present in the body control module (BCM), IPC and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) modules. To correct the condition, download and run the configuration applications for the BCM, IPC, and HVAC modules using the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) diagnostic scan tool. For claiming, use causal part 15604 and applicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.

Kind Service bulletin Manufacturer date Oct 23, 2023 Received by NHTSA Nov 3, 2023 Components Electrical System

Document filed under this number

DocumentKindDatedNHTSA idAt NHTSA
SSM 52009Service bulletinOct 23, 202310244873PDF, 44 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.

Find the body control module/bcm for the 2023 Transit Connect →

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Model years it names

Source: as the manufacturer filed them

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 database

Owners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA since 2015.

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 group

14 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Transit Connect under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.

NumberKindDatedNHTSA’s summary
25N15 S1OtherApr 20, 2026Customer Satisfaction Program 25N15 - Supplement #1 Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One…
SSM 54601Service bulletinFeb 24, 2026Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may no…
SSM 54589OtherFeb 17, 2026Some 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC3 may experience various connectivity concerns with The Ford App Lincoln App incl…
TSB 25-2570Service bulletinNov 26, 2025This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit vario…
SSM 54366Service bulletinNov 12, 2025Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P00…
SSM 54116Service bulletinAug 7, 2025Various 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a partially or fully black center display screen at start-up…
SSM 52786Service bulletinAug 7, 2024Some 2019-2020 Transit Connect vehicles may exhibit a false overheat condition and illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with DTCs P1…
SSM 52307Service bulletinFeb 29, 2024Some 2020-2023 Ford and Lincoln SYNC3 equipped vehicles may experience an inaccurate notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicatin…

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.

Photo: Christian Buehner / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is Ford SSM 52009 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 52009 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 52009 cover?

The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Ford Transit Connect. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.