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Manufacturer communication · Service bulletin

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 communication
Engine 1.5L “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…”

What 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.

Kind Service bulletin Manufacturer date Mar 19, 2024 Received by NHTSA Apr 4, 2024 Components Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System

Document filed under this number

DocumentKindDatedNHTSA idAt NHTSA
SSM 52368Service bulletinMar 19, 202410252631PDF, 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 them

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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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 database

Owners 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 group

39 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.

NumberKindDatedNHTSA’s summary
SSM 55283Service bulletinOct 27, 2026Some 2023-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" message and an il…
SSM 55211Over-the-air updateOct 2, 20262023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the turbocharger wastegate…
SSM 55142Service bulletinSep 1, 2026Some 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Tempera…
25M03OtherAug 18, 2026Customer Satisfaction Program 25M03 Certain 2020-2025 Model Year Escape, 2021-2025 Model Year Corsair and 2022- 2025 Model Year Maverick Veh…
25B33OtherJun 1, 2026Certain 2023-2025 Model Year Escape and Corsair, 2024-2025 Model Year Nautilus, 2025-2026 Model Year Bronco Sport and 2025 Model Year Maver…
25B51OtherMay 9, 2026Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco, 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport, 2020-2022 Model Year Corsair and Escape, 2016-2024 Model Year Explor…
SSM 54631Service bulletinMar 6, 2026Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2022-2026 Maverick 2.5L Duratec hybrid vehicles may require various repairs on the exhaust system. This may requir…
SSM 54540Service bulletinJan 31, 2026Some 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.

Photo: Christian Buehner / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is 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.