Ford bulletin SSM 53764
What it saysSome 2020 Continental, 2020-2024 Edge/Nautilus, 2020-2025 Explorer/Aviator/Escape/Corsair/F-150/F-Super Duty/Ranger/Transit/E-Series, 2021-2025 Bronco, and 2022-2025 Maverick vehicles may require an engine cooling… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 13, 2025, received May 21, 2025, about the engine. It names 101 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2025). 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.
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 communicationSome 2020 Continental, 2020-2024 Edge/Nautilus, 2020-2025 Explorer/Aviator/Escape/Corsair/F-150/F-Super Duty/Ranger/Transit/E-Series, 2021-2025 Bronco, and 2022-2025 Maverick vehicles may require an engine cooling system flush to be performed for various concerns. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-03 has been updated to eliminate the need to remove and install the radiator assembly to perform a radiator flush.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53764 | Service bulletin | May 13, 2025 | 11018521 | PDF, 40 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 themFord 84 model years
and 31 more on this site: 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2020 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2025 Ford Maverick, 2024 Ford Maverick, 2023 Ford Maverick, 2022 Ford Maverick, 2025 Ford Mustang, 2024 Ford Mustang, 2025 Ford Ranger, 2024 Ford Ranger, 2025 Ford Transit, 2024 Ford Transit, 2023 Ford Transit, 2022 Ford Transit, 2021 Ford Transit, 2020 Ford Transit.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 Ford E-150; 2022 Ford E-150; 2023 Ford E-150; 2021 Ford E-250; 2022 Ford E-250; 2023 Ford E-250; 2021 Ford E-550; 2020 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2025 Ford F-550 SD.
Lincoln 17 model years
and 9 more on this site: 2024 Lincoln Corsair, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2022 Lincoln Corsair, 2021 Lincoln Corsair, 2020 Lincoln Corsair, 2023 Lincoln Nautilus, 2022 Lincoln Nautilus, 2021 Lincoln Nautilus, 2020 Lincoln Nautilus.
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 databaseOwners of the 88 model years this bulletin names have filed 14,913 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 5,837 of them name Power Train, Engine — 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 2020 Ford Explorer, the 186 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 43,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Catalytic converter and it was confirmed by independent service center my car only has 88k miles There is a catalytic converter recall on year 2020 but Ford refuses to do a recall for the year 2021 and I have another car that have the same catalytic converter problem with only 84k miles and it’s also 2021 and Ford refuses to do any work…
2021 Ford Explorer · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 31, 2026
Purchased a 2020 Explorer on feb 11, noticed smoke from the hood right when I arrived home from the dealer, contacted them and they said it might be normal for a new vehicle to have some smoke in the beginning, later I noticed that the interior heat is only blowing cold air so I was about to take it to the nearest dealer to check it out…
2020 Ford Explorer · Engine · filed with NHTSA Feb 14, 2020
A Police Officer's Ford Explorer Interceptor Hybrid SUV while driving had a vehicle malfunction where the rear wheels began to wobble/vibrate and while driving in a straight line with front wheels facing straight caused the vehicle to fishtail out of the control (loss of control to the rear wheels) and slam into a tree at approximately…
2021 Ford Explorer · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 20, 2023
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 group171 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.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25L05 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | Certain 2024-2025 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with 2.7L Engine Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) Label Update |
| 26N03 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N03 Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles w/ 6.7L Diesel Engines Diesel Particulate Filter Replac… |
| 26E02 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 26E02 Certain 2016-2019 F-650 - 750 and 2017-2019 F-350 - 550 Vehicles Equipped With 6.7L Diesel… |
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Inter… |
| SSM 55098 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may… |
| 25M03 | Other | Aug 18, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M03 Certain 2020-2025 Model Year Escape, 2021-2025 Model Year Corsair and 2022- 2025 Model Year Maverick Veh… |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| TSB 26-2269 | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble… |
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.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford SSM 53764 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 53764 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 53764 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 101 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford E-Series and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.