Ford bulletin SSM 53954
What it saysSome 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 2.0L engine with Badlands package and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engine with Sasquatch package may exhibit a clicking, creaking, clunking and/or rattle… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 19, 2025, received Jun 24, 2025, about the power train. It names 1 model year (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 communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Some 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 2.0L engine with Badlands package and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engine with Sasquatch package may exhibit a clicking, creaking, clunking and/or rattle noise from the front struts when turning the steering wheel. Ford is aware of the concern and this condition does not affect vehicle durability and no additional diagnosis or service is required for this condition at this time. Inform customers that they can continue to drive the vehicle and engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected by the end of the 3rd quarter of 2025. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information and schedule a service appointment for customers once the repair becomes available.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53954 | Service bulletin | Jun 19, 2025 | 11019697 | PDF, 41 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 10 of them name Power Train, Steering — 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 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V340000 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the vehicle failed the inspection. The contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Jul 17, 2026 · ODI 11751010
Traveling on I5 SB, near Longview, WA. Vehicle steering whell was jerked from my hands. I blacked out briefly from side window impact. Vehicle rolled over into trees and bushes next to the freeway. When I was able to finally see the vehicle at the tow yard.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport · Steering · filed with NHTSA Oct 2, 2025 · ODI 11691015
While driving home and stopped at a red light, the dashboard displayed a "Service Required" warning followed immediately by a "Shift System Fault" message. The vehicle would not accelerate and stalled in the middle of the road with traffic going around me.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 12, 2026 · ODI 11749893
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 group25 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Bronco Sport 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55088 | Service bulletin | Aug 14, 2026 | Some 2023-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L may exhibit a lack of air conditioning (A/C) cooling while at a stop and idling in… |
| TSB 26-2328 | Service bulletin | Jul 15, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2194. Reason for update: update the Parts list to correct a part description " Loctite 638", update the claim qu… |
| SSM 54939 | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shud… |
| TSB 26-2210 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * Engine misfire condition * Illuminat… |
| SSM 54822 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2026 | All 2026 Maverick non-Lobo vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine and built on or after 04-May-2026 and all 2026 Bronco Sport vehicles built o… |
| SSM 54797 | Service bulletin | May 4, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shud… |
| TSB 26-2194 | Service bulletin | Apr 26, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2627. Reason for update: To add a Step to reprogram the all-wheel drive (AWD) module for Bronco Sport vehicles.… |
| SSM 54633 | Service bulletin | Mar 6, 2026 | Some 2023-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L engine may exhibit an illuminated powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator with d… |
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 53954 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 53954 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 53954 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.