Ford bulletin SSM 53642
What it saysSome 2024-2025 Bronco vehicles equipped with a dealer installed trailer tow kit may exhibit a "No Key Detected" message displayed in the IPC. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 15, 2025, received Apr 23, 2025. It names 2 model years (2024–2025). 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 2024-2025 Bronco vehicles equipped with a dealer installed trailer tow kit may exhibit a "No Key Detected" message displayed in the IPC. This may be due to the remote keyless entry (RKE) antenna connection being left loose or disconnected during trailer tow kit installation. Verify that the vehicle is equipped with the trailer tow kit by checking the window sticker for the trailer tow kit option. If the vehicle was equipped with this dealer installed option, before performing normal diagnostics, inspect the RKE antenna connections located behind the left/rear interior quarter panel. If they are loose or unplugged, re-secure the connector(s) and retest operation. If no loose or unplugged connections are found, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 419-01 for normal diagnostics. If this vehicle does not have the dealer installed option, refer to the WSM, Section 419-01 for normal diagnostics.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53642 | Service bulletin | Apr 15, 2025 | 11017159 | PDF, 70 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 142 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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.
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 53642 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 53642 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 53642 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2025 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Bronco. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.