Ford bulletin SSM 52188
What it says2024 F-Super Duty vehicles are equipped with XL-22 (WSS-M2C184-A1) high temperature power steering fluid that looks like clear hydraulic fluid. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 18, 2024, received Jan 24, 2024, about the steering. It names 58 model years (2016–2024). 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 communication2024 F-Super Duty vehicles are equipped with XL-22 (WSS-M2C184-A1) high temperature power steering fluid that looks like clear hydraulic fluid. This fluid is an improvement in high temperature and thermal oxidative stability compared to Mercon LV. This power steering fluid is also compatible and highly recommended to use when filling or topping off power steering systems of all 2012-2023 F-Super Duty vehicles originally equipped with Mercon LV.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52188 | Service bulletin | Jan 18, 2024 | 10249175 | PDF, 52 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; 2020 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2019 Ford F-600 SD; 2020 Ford F-600 SD; 2021 Ford F-600 SD; 2022 Ford F-600 SD; 2023 Ford F-600 SD; 2024 Ford F-650 Incomplete Chassis; 2016 Ford F-650 SD; 2017 Ford F-650 SD; 2018 Ford F-650 SD; 2019 Ford F-650 SD; 2020 Ford F-650 SD; 2021 Ford F-650 SD; 2022 Ford F-650 SD; 2023 Ford F-650 SD; 2016 Ford F-750 SD; 2017 Ford F-750 SD; 2018 Ford F-750 SD; 2019 Ford F-750 SD; 2020 Ford F-750 SD; 2021 Ford F-750 SD; 2022 Ford F-750 SD; 2023 Ford F-750 SD; 2024 Ford F-750 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 27 model years this bulletin names have filed 5,743 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2,736 of them name Steering — 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 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty, the 592 owners who gave an odometer reading for Steering reported it at a median of 28,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
On9/8 /20 I was driving on the expressway at 78 MPH I hit a bump in the road and almost control of the truck due to a heavy vibration in the front end of the truck(wobbly). This will be the second time to the dealership for this problem. The first time I was told the shake was normal. Now it is so bad can't control it when it starts.
2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Steering · filed with NHTSA Sep 9, 2019 · ODI 11254084
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-350. While driving various speeds, the vehicle began to shake violently without warning. The failure recurred randomly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (mclean Ford of fredericksburg, 1279 US-87, fredrickburg, tx 78624), but the cause of the failure could not be determined.
2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Steering · filed with NHTSA Dec 12, 2017 · ODI 11054256
At 65 MPH when encountering rough expansion joints, potholes, or other bumps the truck will go into what is commonly called death wobble. The front end shakes very violently back and forth. Steering is impossible, it will wrench the steering wheel out of my hands. I had to slow down to 35 MPH to make it stop.
2018 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Steering · filed with NHTSA Jan 24, 2019 · ODI 11171825
In depth: 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty steering problems → · 2018 Ford F-250 Super Duty steering problems → · 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty steering problems → · 2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty steering 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 steering
Source: same model, same component group11 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (steering), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCCM-26.AA | Over-the-air update | Apr 29, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses potential key off load battery usage caused by the Steering Column Control Module keeping the Contr… |
| SSM 54763 | Service bulletin | Apr 22, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles built without lane departure warning (built with minor feature code HLEAA) and 2025-2026 Expedition/Nav… |
| 26H01 | Other | Apr 17, 2026 | Harvest Program 26H01 Certain 2024 Model Year F-250 and F-350 Vehicles Steering Column Replacement |
| SSM 54587 | Service bulletin | Feb 17, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit rain sensitive wipers (if equipped) settings that do not change when selected in the center… |
| SSM 54333 | Service bulletin | Oct 28, 2025 | Some 2023-2025 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit a no crank/no start or intermittent no crank/no start with multiple warning indicators and… |
| SSM 54052 | Service bulletin | Jul 15, 2025 | Some 2023-2025 F-Super Duty vehicles may display an error during replacement of the SCCM that contains the following message: "Reprogramming… |
| SSM 53066 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit various steering concerns such as perceived looseness and/or wander. WSM, Section 211-02 an… |
| SSM 52524 | Service bulletin | May 9, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles built on 22-May-2023 and through 15-Dec-2023 may require repairs of the power steering system for vario… |
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 52188 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 52188 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 52188 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 58 model years: 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 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.