Ford bulletin SSM 53874
What it saysSome 2025 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U3012:68 stored in the ABS module. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 5, 2025, received Jun 11, 2025, about the service brakes. 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 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U3012:68 stored in the ABS module. The vehicle may also exhibit any of the following symptoms: a soft brake pedal following vehicle start-up, various brake system illuminated warning lamps and/or brake-related messages displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC). This may be due to a controller area network (CAN) communication concern within the ABS module. To correct this condition, reprogram the ABS module using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). For claiming, use causal part 2005 and applicable labor operations in Section 02 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual.
Trouble codes it names: U3012
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53874 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2025 | 11019479 | PDF, 73 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 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 48 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 8 of them name Service Brakes — 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.
Was operating the vehicle around a slight bend at about 45mph. The brakes and steering then stopped working and was non responsive. The vehicle was sliding off the road toward a parked dump truck. After about 2 or 3 seconds the steering and brakes started working again and I regained control of the vehicle.
2025 Lincoln Navigator · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Jun 8, 2026
I began to brake because there was a parked car at the stop sign i was approaching. My vehicle was not stopping even though the brake pedal was pressed all the way down to the floor. 2025 Ford Expedition crashed into a parked car is a malfunctioning Electronic Brake Booster (EBB) module.
2025 Ford Expedition · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Mar 11, 2026
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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group8 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54733 | Service bulletin | Apr 9, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Bronco/Expedition/Navigator/F-150/Ranger vehicles may exhibit a "Check Brake System" message in the instrument panel cluster… |
| ABS-25.B11 | Over-the-air update | Jan 27, 2026 | "25S77 Recall remedy: -Addresses a potential loss of brake boost while driving. Hydraulic braking will still be available" |
| ABS-25.B11 | Over-the-air update | Jan 27, 2026 | 26-OTA ABS-25. B11 Expedition |
| ABS-25.7.4 | Over-the-air update | Aug 1, 2025 | "25S77 Recall remedy: -Addresses a potential loss of brake boost while driving. Hydraulic braking assist will still be available" |
| ABS-25.7.4 | Over-the-air update | Aug 1, 2025 | "25S77 Recall remedy: -Addresses a potential loss of brake boost while driving. Hydraulic braking assist will still be available" |
| SSM 52881 | Service bulletin | Sep 12, 2024 | 2018-2022 Expedition/Navigator "Park Brake Limited Function Service Required" Message In The IPC |
| SSM 51261 | Service bulletin | Dec 16, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
| SSM 51120 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
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 53874 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 53874 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 53874 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Expedition, 2025 Lincoln Navigator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.