Ford bulletin SSM 53966
What it saysSome 2021-2025 Ford/ Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC4 may not be able to perform an update to the accessory protocol interface module (APIM). NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 20, 2025, received Jun 24, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 46 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.
Get the next Ford bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2021-2025 Ford/ Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC4 may not be able to perform an update to the accessory protocol interface module (APIM). This may be due to the software in the APIM. Ford Engineering has de-activated the ability to update these SYNC4 APIM modules as applicable, and the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) will not present an update for the APIM module. Some existing directed repairs may be impacted, check Professional Technician System (PTS) before attempting any specific technical service bulletin (TSB)/special service message (SSM) and check field service action (FSA) landing pages before attempting any FSA repairs. For any vehicle repairs requiring a software update that includes an APIM update in the programming sequence, if the 5-digit product code for the APIM software is equal to or lower than 23187, do not attempt to update affected modules at this time. To determine the 5-digit product code for the APIM software on the vehicle, while the vehicle center display screen is powered up with ignition in run or accessory, go to Settings > General > About SYNC.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53966 | Service bulletin | Jun 20, 2025 | 11019702 | PDF, 50 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 38 model years
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford Redundant F-250.
Lincoln 8 model years
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new Ford bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 42 model years this bulletin names have filed 7,190 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,596 of them name Electrical System — 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 Bronco Sport, the 67 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 41,426 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The issue involves the purchase of a 2024 Ford Expedition Max, VIN , which purchased on from Legacy Ford in Corbin, KY. Since purchasing this vehicle, I have encountered the following persistent issues that substantially impair the use, value, or safety of the vehicle: The vehicle was sold to me seemingly infested with rodents, which ate…
2024 Ford Expedition · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 7, 2025 · ODI 11646958
2022 Lincoln Navigator L Reserve has many issues with Modules one of them that keeps goes bad is Apin which controls the screen and all other features like Massage seats Running Boards and Music and all other controls that gets disabled when it goes bad it’s a frequent problem which I has been having often changed 3 times but the problem…
2022 Lincoln Navigator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 11, 2023 · ODI 11531641
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V802000 (Electrical System); 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue.
2024 Ford Mustang · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 21, 2025 · ODI 11637439
In depth: 2021 Ford Bronco Sport electrical problems → · 2023 Ford Escape electrical problems → · 2021 Ford Explorer electrical problems → · 2023 Ford F-150 electrical 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group627 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2449 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2428. Reason for update: to update the Service Procedure to remove the fuel tank isolation valve replacement and… |
| SSM 55262 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards built on or before 13-Sep-2026 may exhibit an intermittent condit… |
| 26-2431 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason for update: update the Service procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with new Ford D… |
| TSB 26-2439 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and radio system… |
| SSM 55258 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent electronic static/buzzing/screeching/humming noise from the front a… |
| SSM 55256 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2027 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power folding mirrors may exhibit concerns with the auto foldi… |
| SSM 55247 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles may experience an "Advance Front Lighting Features Temporarily Unavailable" message with diagnostic trouble… |
| SSM 55255 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 360-degree camera may exhibit a distorted or corrupted 360-degree camera image in the c… |
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 53966 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 53966 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 53966 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 46 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Edge, 2022 Ford Edge and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.