Ford bulletin SSM 53973
What it saysSome 2021-2024 Edge/Nautilus, 2021-2025 Bronco/Bronco Sport/E-Series/Escape/Corsair/Expedition/Navigator/Explorer/Aviator/F-150/F-Super Duty/Mustang/Ranger, and 2022-2025 Maverick vehicles may require an A/C compressor… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 25, 2025, received Jul 2, 2025, about the power train. It names 97 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 2021-2024 Edge/Nautilus, 2021-2025 Bronco/Bronco Sport/E-Series/Escape/Corsair/Expedition/Navigator/Explorer/Aviator/F-150/F-Super Duty/Mustang/Ranger, and 2022-2025 Maverick vehicles may require an A/C compressor clutch assembly replacement be performed for various concerns. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 412-00 Removal and Installation has been updated to eliminate the need to remove and install the A/C compressor to change out the A/C Compressor clutch assembly.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53973 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2025 | 11020044 | PDF, 67 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 80 model years
and 25 more on this site: 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2022 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2021 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2025 Ford Maverick, 2024 Ford Maverick, 2023 Ford Maverick, 2022 Ford Maverick, 2025 Ford Mustang, 2023 Ford Mustang, 2022 Ford Mustang, 2021 Ford Mustang, 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E, 2025 Ford Ranger, 2024 Ford Ranger, 2023 Ford Ranger, 2022 Ford Ranger, 2021 Ford Ranger.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 Ford E-150; 2022 Ford E-150; 2023 Ford E-150; 2021 Ford E-250; 2022 Ford E-250; 2023 Ford E-250; 2021 Ford E-550; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2025 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford Redundant F-250; 2022 Ford Redundant F-250; 2021 Ford Redundant F-350.
Lincoln 17 model years
and 9 more on this site: 2022 Lincoln Corsair, 2021 Lincoln Corsair, 2023 Lincoln Nautilus, 2022 Lincoln Nautilus, 2021 Lincoln Nautilus, 2024 Lincoln Navigator, 2023 Lincoln Navigator, 2022 Lincoln Navigator, 2021 Lincoln Navigator.
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 82 model years this bulletin names have filed 10,698 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 4,088 of them name Power Train, Engine — 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 85 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 55,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Catalytic converter and it was confirmed by independent service center my car only has 88k miles There is a catalytic converter recall on year 2020 but Ford refuses to do a recall for the year 2021 and I have another car that have the same catalytic converter problem with only 84k miles and it’s also 2021 and Ford refuses to do any work…
2021 Ford Explorer · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 31, 2026
A Police Officer's Ford Explorer Interceptor Hybrid SUV while driving had a vehicle malfunction where the rear wheels began to wobble/vibrate and while driving in a straight line with front wheels facing straight caused the vehicle to fishtail out of the control (loss of control to the rear wheels) and slam into a tree at approximately…
2021 Ford Explorer · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that a software update had been completed on the TCM.
2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 16, 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group336 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 26-2408 | 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… |
| TSB 26-2421 | Service bulletin | Sep 18, 2026 | This bulletin updates 25-2622. Reason for update: * Update the Service Procedure to: - Remove Step related connecting a battery charger - Ad… |
| TSB 26-2341 v2 | Service bulletin | Sep 17, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2171. Reasons for update: update the Parts list to add a note to clarify the application of the part numbers W52… |
| TSB 26-2414 | Service bulletin | Sep 14, 2026 | This article supersedes 26-2058 Reason for update: update the TSB title and TSB issue to include new DTCs Some of the vehicles listed in the… |
| PCM-26.10.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 10, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| TSB 26-2406 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| TSB 26-2252 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| SSM 55142 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2026 | Some 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Tempera… |
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 53973 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 53973 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 53973 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 97 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford Bronco Sport and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.