Ford bulletin SSM 52368
What it says2024 Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines should add local fuel once the vehicle arrives at the dealership to reduce the risk of various engine performance concerns such as: rough operation, idle… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 19, 2024, received Apr 4, 2024, about the engine. It names 2 model years (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 communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
2024 Escape and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines should add local fuel once the vehicle arrives at the dealership to reduce the risk of various engine performance concerns such as: rough operation, idle quality, engine misfires, lack or loss of engine power. These conditions may occur due to different fuel specifications between the manufacturing plant and the final market. Make sure that the vehicles in stock have local fuel added.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52368 | Service bulletin | Mar 19, 2024 | 10252631 | 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 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 204 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 80 of them name Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System — 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.
While accelerating the Vehicle I felt a massive kickback via the gas pedal, I was able to drive for half a mile more before the vehicle would no longer accelerate at all. The gas pedal was no working.
2024 Ford Escape · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 30, 2025 · ODI 11677347
Auto start / stop feature stopped working after recall 24S24. Took to dealership where battery was diagnosed at 57%. Had no indication battery was failing. Recall reprogram did not resolve issue
2024 Ford Bronco Sport · Engine · filed with NHTSA Mar 11, 2025 · ODI 11647590
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group39 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55283 | Service bulletin | Oct 27, 2026 | Some 2023-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" message and an il… |
| SSM 55211 | Over-the-air update | Oct 2, 2026 | 2023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the turbocharger wastegate… |
| SSM 55142 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2026 | Some 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Tempera… |
| 25M03 | Other | Aug 18, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M03 Certain 2020-2025 Model Year Escape, 2021-2025 Model Year Corsair and 2022- 2025 Model Year Maverick Veh… |
| 25B33 | Other | Jun 1, 2026 | Certain 2023-2025 Model Year Escape and Corsair, 2024-2025 Model Year Nautilus, 2025-2026 Model Year Bronco Sport and 2025 Model Year Maver… |
| 25B51 | Other | May 9, 2026 | Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco, 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport, 2020-2022 Model Year Corsair and Escape, 2016-2024 Model Year Explor… |
| SSM 54631 | Service bulletin | Mar 6, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2022-2026 Maverick 2.5L Duratec hybrid vehicles may require various repairs on the exhaust system. This may requir… |
| SSM 54540 | Service bulletin | Jan 31, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Escape/Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may require replacement of the engine thermostat due to var… |

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 52368 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 52368 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 52368 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2024 Ford Bronco Sport, 2024 Ford Escape. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.