Ford bulletin SSM 53863
What it saysSome 2025 Explorer/Aviator vehicles may exhibit driver assistance feature warning messages displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC). NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 3, 2025, received Jun 11, 2025, about the back over prevention. It names 2 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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 2025 Explorer/Aviator vehicles may exhibit driver assistance feature warning messages displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC). Additionally, some modules may store invalid data/lost communication diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). The image processing module A (IPMA) should not store these DTCs. This condition may be due to the software in the IPMA causing no communication on the network. To restore communication/function, download and run the "IPMA - Image Processing Module A (IPMA) Recovery" app in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) tool, then "Trusted Real-Time Operation Network (TRON) Module Authentication" following FDRS screen instructions. Next, download and run the "IPMA - Image Processing Module A (IPMA) Alignment" app, recheck DTCs and confirm that all warning messages are cleared from the IPC. For vehicles equipped with a 360 degree camera, perform the "360 Degree View Camera Alignment" procedure in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 413-13. If these steps correct the condition, release the vehicle back to the customer.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53863 | Service bulletin | Jun 3, 2025 | 11019455 | PDF, 74 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.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 1 model year
Lincoln 1 model year
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 118 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 44 of them name Electrical System, Visibility/Wiper — 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.
The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the front passenger's side window failed to roll up or down as needed. The contact stated that the front driver's side window motor was previously replaced due to the same failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired.
2025 Lincoln Aviator · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Aug 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V157000 (Visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted.
2025 Ford Explorer · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Jul 7, 2025
Gateway module does not work. I've had my 2025 vehicle since 11/21/2024 (over 7 months) and it has never worked. I have not had a safety update since 05/2024 when it was at the factory. There has been many OTA updates and updates that need to be preformed at dealership and have not had any completed.
2025 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 4, 2025
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 back over prevention
Source: same model, same component group5 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (back over prevention), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 25-2422 | Other | Mar 26, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2372 to update the vehicle symptoms. |
| 25N17 | Other | Mar 25, 2026 | Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Req… |
| SSM 51935 | Service bulletin | Sep 19, 2023 | Some 2022 Edge vehicles built on and after 16-Nov-2022, 2022 Explorer vehicles built on and after 20-Sep-2022, 2023 Edge vehicles built on a… |
| 23B49 | Service bulletin | Aug 31, 2023 | Certain 2021 - 2023 Model Year Aviator Vehicles Equipped With SYNC - Reprogram Accessory Protocol Interface Module |
| SSM 51886 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2023 | Some 2023 Explorer vehicles built on or after 31-Jul-2023 are no longer equipped with the 360 degree view camera or reverse brake assist fea… |
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 53863 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 53863 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 53863 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Explorer, 2025 Lincoln Aviator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.