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Manufacturer communication · Service bulletin · 2 brands

Ford bulletin SSM 52503

What it saysSome 2023-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with the 3.0L EcoBoost engine and up to 15,000 miles (24,140 km) may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P219A… NHTSA’s full summary ↓

Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 2, 2024, received May 17, 2024, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 4 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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.

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 communication
Engine 3.0L EcoBoost “Some 2023-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with the 3.0L EcoBoost engine and up to 15,000 miles (24,140 km) may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P219A…”

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.

Some 2023-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with the 3.0L EcoBoost engine and up to 15,000 miles (24,140 km) may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P219A (Bank 1 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance) and/or P219B (Bank 2 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance) stored in the powertrain control module (PCM) with no effect on vehicle operation. To correct this condition, replace the fuel injector assemblies (service part L1MZ-9F593-B) for only the respective bank setting the DTC. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 303-04B. For claiming, use causal part 9F593 and applicable labor standards in Section 10 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.

Trouble codes it names: P219A P219B

Kind Service bulletin Manufacturer date May 2, 2024 Received by NHTSA May 17, 2024 Components Fuel/Propulsion System

Document filed under this number

DocumentKindDatedNHTSA idAt NHTSA
SSM 52503Service bulletinMay 2, 202411000182PDF, 71 KB

What the document itself lists

Part the bulletin names

Part numberDescriptionQtyFind it
L1MZ-9F593-B——

Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (1 page), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Ford’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

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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What owners reported

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Owners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 173 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 4 of them name 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.

Subject: Request for Investigation / Status Update: Unresolved Safety Recall for 2023, Lincoln Aviator ​To Whom It May Concern, ​I am writing to formally request an update and urge an investigation into the lack of a remedy for an active safety recall on my vehicle.

2023 Lincoln Aviator · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Jun 5, 2026 · ODI 11742296

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 fuel/propulsion system

Source: same model, same component group

10 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.

NumberKindDatedNHTSA’s summary
SSM 54948Service bulletinJun 18, 2026Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility non-hybrid vehicles built on 06-Feb-2025 and through 13-Dec-2025 may exhibit vari…
SSM 54857Service bulletinMay 21, 20262020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped wi…
SSM 54810Service bulletinMay 8, 2026Some 2024-2026 Nautilus non-hybrid and 2025-2026 Aviator vehicles equipped with 28 radio speakers (minor feature code IDBBN) and 2025-2026 N…
SSM 54787Service bulletinApr 29, 2026Some 2020-2023 Aviator and 2025-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit a "Refuel Error See Manual" message in…
23B64OtherApr 8, 2026Customer Satisfaction Program 23B64 Certain 2020-2024 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Equipped with High Voltage Batteries Battery Energ…
SSM 54614Service bulletinFeb 28, 2026Some 2020-2024 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine and 2020-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility/Aviator vehicles equipped wit…
SSM 54425Service bulletinDec 4, 2025Some 2020-2026 Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit multiple warning messages, various drivability concerns and/or an illu…
SSM 54271Service bulletinOct 4, 2025Some 2025 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine may require various repairs and/or maintenance on the fuel system. This 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 and Lincoln, by the number printed on the letter.

Photo: Christian Buehner / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is Ford SSM 52503 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 52503 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 52503 cover?

The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2024 Ford Explorer, 2023 Ford Explorer, 2024 Lincoln Aviator, 2023 Lincoln Aviator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.