Ford bulletin SSM 53039
What it saysSome 2022 Escape built on or before 03-Mar-2022, 2022 Bronco Sport built on or before 04-Mar-2022 and 2022 Maverick built on or before 25-Jan-2022 may exhibit a powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator with diagnostic… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 8, 2024, received Oct 16, 2024, about the power train. It names 3 model years (2022). 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 the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some 2022 Escape built on or before 03-Mar-2022, 2022 Bronco Sport built on or before 04-Mar-2022 and 2022 Maverick built on or before 25-Jan-2022 may exhibit a powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0929:77 stored in the gear shift module (GSM).
Trouble codes it names: P0929
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53039 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2024 | 11008947 | PDF, 71 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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,376 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 302 of them name Power Train — 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.
On the 2022 Ford Maverick, the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 40,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Transmission Failure. Following a 550 mile road trip over two days. The transmission would fail to engage in Drive and Reverse until the engine was throttled to 4000-4500RPM. Transmission felt like a Manual with failing clutch, would slip until slowly engaging after running at high RPMs for a few seconds.
2022 Ford Maverick · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Aug 29, 2022 · ODI 11481721
The wrench icon which refers to the Powertrain system keeps coming on. I received a message from the Ford pass system that there was (Fault) in the Powertrain system. That power was reduced. Further it said to see a dealer right away. All of the Ford Dealers in my area are all booked up
2022 Ford Bronco Sport · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 19, 2022 · ODI 11474812
In depth: 2022 Ford Bronco Sport transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2022 Ford Maverick transmission and drivetrain problems →
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group58 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2428 | Service bulletin | Sep 29, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2326. Reason for update: update the service procedure to include the fuel tank isolation valve replacement, upda… |
| SSM 55088 | Service bulletin | Aug 14, 2026 | Some 2023-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L may exhibit a lack of air conditioning (A/C) cooling while at a stop and idling in… |
| TSB 26-2328 | Service bulletin | Jul 15, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2194. Reason for update: update the Parts list to correct a part description " Loctite 638", update the claim qu… |
| SSM 54980 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | Some 2022-2024 Maverick Hybrid vehicles may exhibit an intermittent vibration and/or crunching noise after a cold start while the engine is… |
| SSM 54939 | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shud… |
| TSB 26-2210 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * Engine misfire condition * Illuminat… |
| SSM 54825 | Service bulletin | May 15, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 Escape vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnosti… |
| SSM 54822 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2026 | All 2026 Maverick non-Lobo vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine and built on or after 04-May-2026 and all 2026 Bronco Sport vehicles built o… |
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 53039 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 53039 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 53039 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford Escape, 2022 Ford Maverick. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2022 Escape: built on or before 3 Mar 2022; 2022 Bronco Sport: built on or before 4 Mar 2022; 2022 Maverick: built on or before 25 Jan 2022 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.