Ford bulletin SSM 53878
What it saysSome 2021-2025 Expedition/Navigator and 2021-2025 F-150 non-Lightning/non-PowerBoost vehicles may exhibit a rattle/scraping noise from the bellhousing area on start-up. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 5, 2025, received Jun 11, 2025, about the power train. It names 15 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2021–2025). 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 2021-2025 Expedition/Navigator and 2021-2025 F-150 non-Lightning/non-PowerBoost vehicles may exhibit a rattle/scraping noise from the bellhousing area on start-up. This may be due to the torque converter studs contacting the engine to transmission spacer plate (separator plate). To correct this condition, inspect the engine to transmission spacer plate and torque converter studs for wear/damage. If wear/damage is found, replacement of the torque converter is not necessary. Replace only the engine to transmission spacer plate. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM) Section 303-01 > Engine to Transmission Spacer Plate for full spacer plate removal and installation. When reinstalling the starter motor, make sure the starter is flush with the engine to transmission spacer plate prior to tightening the studbolts. Failure to do so may result in damaging the newly installed engine to transmission spacer plate.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53878 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2025 | 11019494 | PDF, 69 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 10 model years
Lincoln 5 model years
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 15 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,634 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,136 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 2021 Ford F-150, the 88 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 58,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Passenger side rear axle retention bolt sheared off. Discovered during routine maintenance / tire rotation. Unknown how safety was at risk -- dealer told me once discovered that the vehicle would be repaired under warranty, and they could do in 24 hours, so no discussion about unsafe to drive as others have reported they were told.
2022 Ford F-150 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 20, 2022 · ODI 11494333
Components: Engine & Power Train Safety Risk: Momentary loss of power Problem has not been reproduced by dealer or independent service center. Vehicle has been inspected by Ford Dealer Joe Cooper Ford in Oklahoma City, OK There were/are no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem that appear prior to the failure.
2024 Ford Expedition · Power Train · filed with NHTSA May 25, 2025 · ODI 11663012
While driving, the vehicle repeatedly hesitated during gear changes, lost power, and then abruptly jerked back into gear. This occurred intermittently for over a month without any warning messages, creating unpredictable and unsafe driving conditions. As the issue worsened, the vehicle began losing power more frequently.
2021 Lincoln Navigator · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 10, 2026 · ODI 11716941
In depth: 2021 Ford Expedition transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2024 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2023 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2022 Ford F-150 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 group138 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 26-2436 | Service bulletin | Oct 30, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may have diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P05B0 stored in the powertrain control modul… |
| TSB 26-2448 | Service bulletin | Oct 27, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2236. Reason for update: To consolidate prior articles and revise the Service Procedure to add an AAD blade limi… |
| TSB 26-2408 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2309. Reason for update: update the Model section to remove Aviator 10R80, update theParts list to add 3.3L to W… |
| TSB 26-2431 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason For Update: update the Service Procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with the new Fo… |
| TSB 26-2408 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2309. Reason For Update: update the Model section to remove Aviator 10R80, update the Parts list to add 3.3L to… |
| 26E03 | Emissions | Sep 17, 2026 | Certain 2026 Model Year F-150 Raptor Vehicles With 3.5L Engines Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Software Update |
| TSB 26-2395 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | This article supersedes 26-2287. Reason for update: update the labor operation numbers to add MT to operations C, F, G, H, J, K, L and M, an… |
| TSB 26-2360 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model Statement above may exhibit an intermittent extended crank with no relevant diagnostic trouble code… |
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 53878 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 53878 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 53878 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 15 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Expedition, 2024 Ford Expedition, 2023 Ford Expedition, 2022 Ford Expedition, 2021 Ford Expedition, 2025 Ford F-150 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.