Ford bulletin SSM 52161
What it saysSome 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles equipped with front park aid (minor feature code HNLAB) mayexhibit an inoperative front park aid feature with a Front Parking Sensors Not Available Sensors Blocked SeeManual… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 5, 2024, received Jan 18, 2024, about the equipment. 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 communicationSome 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles equipped with front park aid (minor feature code HNLAB) mayexhibit an inoperative front park aid feature with a Front Parking Sensors Not Available Sensors Blocked SeeManual message in the IPC without any diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) associated with the condition. Toconfirm a vehicle is built with a certain minor feature code, review the build information by double-clicking thevehicle identification number (VIN) in the upper left corner in the Professional Technician System (PTS). Thismay be due to the software level of the image processing module A (IPMA) and/or the power steering controlmodule (PSCM). To correct the condition, reprogram the IPMA and the PSCM using the latest software level ofthe Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) diagnostic scan tool. For claiming, use causal part 14G647 andapplicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual. NOTE: The IPMA software update that addresses the symptom listed in this bulletin may have been sent viaFord Power-Up software updates delivered over-the-air (OTA) to connected vehicles that have automaticupdates enabled through the center display screen. Enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) inProfessional Technician System (PTS) and check the OTA Dashboard under the Connected Vehicle tab forOTA update history. If an update to the IPMA has successfully completed recently and the customer isreporting the symptoms are no longer present, this article may not apply.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52161 | Service bulletin | Jan 5, 2024 | 10248988 | PDF, 59 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 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 110 complaints 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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group9 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford F-150 Lightning under the same component group (equipment), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24U04 | Service bulletin | Apr 19, 2024 | Certain 2024 Model Year F-150, F-150 Lightning, F-150 Raptor, 2024 Ranger, 2024 Ranger Raptor Enhanced Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) |
| OTAPU10246CHAUDL | Service bulletin | Mar 15, 2024 | Quality Improvements include: - Fix the infrequent random audio noises issue and improve the audio quality of the vehicle. |
| OTAPU102410CHAUL | Service bulletin | Mar 13, 2024 | Quality Improvements include: - Fix the no audio out of random speakers issue. |
| SSM 52280 | Service bulletin | Feb 21, 2024 | Some 2021-2024 Mustang Mach-E, 2022-2024 E-Transit/F-150 Lightning vehicles may have diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P1A3C stored in the off-b… |
| 23B21 Re-engage | Service bulletin | Nov 1, 2023 | Recall re-engagement email to customers who have not completed their recall. The message will provide a link to the Ford VIN recall look up… |
| OTA23PU0327F150B | Service bulletin | Jun 14, 2023 | Priority Update 23-PU0327-DSP-AMP for 2022 F-150 Lightning vehicles is now available. Quality Improvements include: - Prevents unexpected… |
| SAN-Vol1 I1 | Service bulletin | Jun 8, 2023 | The Service Awareness Newsletter is an informal communication that contains information that may not be presently available in a TSB, SSM, G… |
| 22-PU0930-RBACHM | Service bulletin | May 24, 2023 | Priority Update 22-PU0930-RBA-CHM for 2022 F-150 Lightning vehicles is now available. Quality Improvements include: - Improved notificatio… |

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 52161 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 52161 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 52161 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.