Ford bulletin SSM 53982
What it saysSome 2020-2023 Explorer/Aviator, 2020-2025 Police Interceptor Utility, 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles equipped with a hybrid powertrain may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 25, 2025, received Jul 2, 2025, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 18 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2025). 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 2020-2023 Explorer/Aviator, 2020-2025 Police Interceptor Utility, 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles equipped with a hybrid powertrain may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P2450:00 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to an evaporative emission system concern or may also be caused by the customer overfilling the fuel tank. If this condition occurs, perform normal diagnosis per Workshop Manual (WSM) Section, 303-13 and repair as necessary. Inform the customer that the condition may have been caused by overfilling of the fuel tank and to not top-off the fuel tank when the fuel pump nozzle automatically shuts off for the first time. Refer the customer to the Fuel and Refueling section of their Owner Manual for additional information.
Trouble codes it names: P2450
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 53982 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2025 | 11020053 | PDF, 71 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 12 model years
Lincoln 6 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 18 model years this bulletin names have filed 6,416 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 433 of them name Fuel/Propulsion 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 2020 Ford Escape, the 43 owners who gave an odometer reading for Fuel/Propulsion System reported it at a median of 47,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I am filing this complaint to report an unreasonable and hazardous delay by the manufacturer regarding NHTSA Campaign 25V455000 (Ford Recall 25S75) for a low-pressure fuel pump defect. As the original owner of a 2021 Ford Explorer Platinum Hybrid, I received notice of this critical safety recall 14 months ago.
2021 Ford Explorer · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Sep 10, 2026
When starting at intersections or stopping you can hear and feel the fuel in the tank sloshing back and forth. I've taken my vehicle to the dealership and they confirmed the noise and documented it. They reached out to Ford which said they knew of the issue and at this time there is no fix
2020 Ford Explorer · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Feb 21, 2020
I want to hold Ford accountable for Recall 23S27. Ford continues to miss their own planned dates to come up with a solution. I want them to buy back their Lemon at Fair Trade-In Value per KBB, which is $30,500. This reminds me of the Ford Pinto fiasco many years ago. Thanks
2022 Ford Escape · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Dec 14, 2023
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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group29 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55177 | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Maverick and 2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with an 8-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) display may exhibit a conditio… |
| SSM 55140 | Service bulletin | Aug 31, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles built on or before 05-Dec-2025 and 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles built on or before 04-Sep-2025 may exhibit l… |
| SSM55059 | Service bulletin | Aug 3, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine, 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine, and 20… |
| SSM 55058 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles built on or before 05-Dec-2025 and 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles built on or before 04-Sep-2025 may exhibit l… |
| SSM 54948 | Service bulletin | Jun 18, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility non-hybrid vehicles built on 06-Feb-2025 and through 13-Dec-2025 may exhibit vari… |
| SSM 54857 | Service bulletin | May 21, 2026 | 2020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped wi… |
| SSM 54823 | Service bulletin | May 15, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles built on or before 05-Dec-2025 and 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles built on or before 04-Sep-2025 may exhibit l… |
| SSM 54810 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus non-hybrid and 2025-2026 Aviator vehicles equipped with 28 radio speakers (minor feature code IDBBN) and 2025-2026 N… |
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 53982 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 53982 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 53982 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 18 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape, 2020 Ford Escape, 2025 Ford Explorer, 2024 Ford Explorer, 2023 Ford Explorer and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.