Ford bulletin SSM 52435
What it saysSome 2020-2023 Explorer vehicles may exhibit various issues with the roof rack side. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 10, 2024, received Apr 29, 2024, about the structure. It names 4 model years (2020–2023). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2020-2023 Explorer vehicles may exhibit various issues with the roof rack side. If there is an issue with the roof rack side that requires replacement, a lower level service part is now available separately (7855114 and 7855115). It is no longer necessary to replace the entire roof rack assembly.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 52435 | Service bulletin | Apr 10, 2024 | 10253684 | PDF, 65 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 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,103 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
leather wrapped dash panel delaminated from base on passenger side and curls up into windshield area blocking view and possibly obstucting air bag deployment on passenger side
2022 Ford Explorer · Structure · filed with NHTSA Jun 23, 2026 · ODI 11745940
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group13 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55279 | Service bulletin | Oct 24, 2026 | 2025-2027 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility non-hybrid vehicles built on or after 05-Mar-2025 and 2025-2027 Aviator vehicles built on or a… |
| RGTM-26.AF | Over-the-air update | Aug 27, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Rear Gate latch calibration update to permit unlatching via the release button when the system has lost posit… |
| SSM 55069 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Some 2020-2025 Explorer vehicles equipped with a power roof opening panel may exhibit a sunshield with localized bunching or binding/inopera… |
| SSM 55060 | Service bulletin | Aug 4, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Explorer vehicles built on or before 27-Feb-2026 and equipped with the panoramic glass roof may exhibit an uneven gap at the… |
| SSM 54882 | Service bulletin | May 29, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator vehicles may exhibit a no crank/no start/discharged battery condition with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) B1… |
| SSM 54829 | Service bulletin | May 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power autofold exterior mirrors may exhibit concerns with the… |
| DDM-26.21.5 | Over-the-air update | May 5, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Prevents window bounce backs after using the one touch up feature" |
| SSM 54646 | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2026 | Some 2020-2024 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit a "Refuel Error See Manual" message in the instrument panel c… |
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 52435 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 52435 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 52435 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2023 Ford Explorer, 2022 Ford Explorer, 2021 Ford Explorer, 2020 Ford Explorer. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.