Ford bulletin SSM 52261
What it saysSome 2023 Escape vehicles with hybrid powertrain built on or before 27-Oct-2023 and 2023 Corsair vehicles with hybrid powertrain built on or before 24-Oct-2023 may exhibit an intermittent no audio condition… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 14, 2024, received Feb 23, 2024, about the equipment. It names 2 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 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 2023 Escape vehicles with hybrid powertrain built on or before 27-Oct-2023 and 2023 Corsair vehicles with hybrid powertrain built on or before 24-Oct-2023 may exhibit an intermittent no audio condition with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U1A00:87 stored in the accessory protocol interface module (APIM). When the audio volume control is adjusted using the steering wheel or the center display screen, the center display screen may or may not show a visual change with no change in audio volume. This may be due to the software installed in the audio control module (ACM). To correct this condition, reprogram the ACM using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) diagnostic tool. For claiming, use causal part 18C869 and applicable labor operation in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Trouble codes it names: U1A00
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52261 | Service bulletin | Feb 14, 2024 | 10250523 | 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.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 1 model year
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 156 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 group28 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52476 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2024 | All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory install… |
| 22N15 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2024 | Customer Satisfaction Program 22N15 Certain 2020-2023 Model Year Bronco Sport, Escape, Corsair, E-Series, F-650/F-750, F-53 Motorhome Chas… |
| SSM 52327 | Service bulletin | Mar 4, 2024 | Some 2020-2022 Corsair vehicles equipped with a head-up display (HUD) may exhibit a blank HUD screen condition after programming the module.… |
| SSM 52328 | Service bulletin | Mar 4, 2024 | Some 2021-2024 Bronco/F-150, 2023-2024 Escape/F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with SYNC 4 may experience a concern during accessory protocol… |
| SSM 52269 | Service bulletin | Feb 16, 2024 | 2022-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles built on or after 28-May-2022, 2022-2024 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or after 08-Jun-2022, 20… |
| SSM 52246 | Service bulletin | Feb 12, 2024 | Some 2023 Escape vehicles may exhibit a Front Camera Fault and/or Pre-Collision Assist Fault message displayed in the instrumental panel clu… |
| SSM 52162 | Service bulletin | Jan 8, 2024 | Some 2023 Escape vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines may exhibit an Engine Coolant Over-Temperature Warning message displayed in the instrum… |
| TSB 23-2395 | Service bulletin | Dec 5, 2023 | Some 2023 Corsair vehicles may exhibit a squeak or rattle noise from the center display screen. This may be due to improperly installed or m… |

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 52261 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 52261 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 52261 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2023 Ford Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair. 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: 2023 Escape: built on or before 27 Oct 2023; 2023 Corsair: built on or before 24 Oct 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.