Ford bulletin SSM 52363
What it saysSome 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a trailer brake control module may exhibit a Trailer Disconnected message after cycling the ignition off and back on with a trailer connected. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 15, 2024, received Apr 4, 2024, about the trailer hitches. It names 14 model years (2023–2024). 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 communicationSome 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a trailer brake control module may exhibit a Trailer Disconnected message after cycling the ignition off and back on with a trailer connected. This may be due to the presence of an integrated battery charger on a trailer equipped with electric over hydraulic brakes. If trailer functionality is restored after unplugging and plugging the trailer connector back in while the ignition is on, this condition can be corrected by downloading and performing the Trailer Brake Configuration application using the latest version of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) diagnostic scan tool. For claiming, use causal part 19H332 and applicable labor operations in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52363 | Service bulletin | Mar 15, 2024 | 10252627 | PDF, 66 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: 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-600 SD; 2024 Ford F-600 SD; 2024 Ford F-650 Incomplete Chassis; 2023 Ford F-650 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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 179 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 trailer hitches
Source: same model, same component group2 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (trailer hitches), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52467 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2024 | Some 2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 12.3 inch center display screen and 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit DTCs B1D08 a… |
| SSM 51601 | Service bulletin | May 5, 2023 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 and 2022-2023 F-Super Duty/Expedition/Navigator/Maverick vehicles equipped with an integrated trailer module (iTRM) may… |
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 52363 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 52363 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 52363 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 14 model years: 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-450 Super Duty and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.