Ford bulletin SSM 52197
What it saysSome 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles equipped with 4x4 with part time engagement and built on or before 12-Jan-2024 may exhibit a condition of the vehicle being stuck in neutral tow mode. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 23, 2024, received Jan 30, 2024, about the power train. It names 4 model years (2021–2024). 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.
Get the next Ford Bronco bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles equipped with 4x4 with part time engagement and built on or before 12-Jan-2024 may exhibit a condition of the vehicle being stuck in neutral tow mode. This may be due to a concern with the all-wheel drive (AWD) module software. Make sure the proper procedure is being followed to exit neutral tow mode by referring to the Owner's Manual > Towing Your Vehicle > Recreationally Towing Your Vehicle. Make sure the vehicle's battery is fully charged and then diagnose all diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) in the AWD module. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 307-07A. If diagnostics do not resolve the concern or there are no DTCs present in the AWD module, reprogram the AWD module using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) diagnostic scan tool. Refer to the appropriate section of the WSM. Once the repair is complete, verify the vehicle's ability to successfully enter and exit neutral tow mode by cycling the vehicle in and out of neutral tow mode a minimum of two times, allowing the vehicle to enter sleep mode (key-off for at least 5 minutes) be
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52197 | Service bulletin | Jan 23, 2024 | 10249422 | PDF, 56 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 automatic transmission for the 2024 Bronco →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Email me new Ford bulletins for the Bronco
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 932 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 71 of them name Power Train — 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.
Within the first 500 miles on my brand new bronco, I noticed a strange burning smell after driving it one day. The next morning when I started it, I heard what I thought was a heat shield rattle, and as I continued to drive my bronco to work throughout the week the noise got worse.
2023 Ford Bronco · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 16, 2023 · ODI 11507718
While vehicle was on a boat ramp the vehicle”s gear shift was put into the park position. The vehicle’s park gear failed to engage and it continued to roll backwards. Additional attempts to then put the vehicle into drive also failed to respond.
2024 Ford Bronco · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jun 30, 2025 · ODI 11670299
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group43 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Bronco under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55284 | Service bulletin | Oct 27, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 Bronco vehicles equipped with a MT88 manual transmission may exhibit no 3rd gear engagement and/or a grinding noise going int… |
| SSM 55073 | Service bulletin | Aug 10, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 Bronco vehicles may require the removal and installation of the transfer case for various reasons. Installation requires Loct… |
| PCM-26.20.0 | Over-the-air update | Jul 2, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Powertrain Control Module calibration update to prevent a DTC that may lead to a wrench light |
| PCM-26.10.0 | Over-the-air update | Jul 2, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Updates the Powertrain Control Module documentation to ensure vehicles can receive the latest updates |
| TSB 26-2291 | Service bulletin | Jun 19, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2006. Reason for update: update the Parts list to correct the ambient air temperature service part number. Some… |
| SSM 54902 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2026 | For 20202026 vehicles equipped with the 10R60 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford D… |
| TSB 26-2210 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * Engine misfire condition * Illuminat… |
| 26B12 | Other | May 28, 2026 | Certain 2026 Model Year Aviator, Explorer and Bronco Vehicles with 10R60 Transmissions: Transmission and Fluid Cooler Replacement |
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 52197 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 52197 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 52197 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: built on or before 12 Jan 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.