Ford bulletin SSM 54009
What it saysSome 2023-2025 F-150 Raptor vehicles equipped with a 5.2L engine may exhibit an exhaust rattle/rasp on a cold start. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 2, 2025, received Jul 8, 2025, about the engine. It names 3 model years (2023–2025). 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 2023-2025 F-150 Raptor vehicles equipped with a 5.2L engine may exhibit an exhaust rattle/rasp on a cold start. The Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 309-00 Exhaust System - 5.2L 32V Ti-VCT - Supercharged > Diagnosis and Testing > Exhaust system > Pinpoint Test D: Noises Such As Buzzing, Drumming, Thumping, Ringing Or Hissing Coming From Exhaust System has been updated to address exhaust rattling sounds during a cold start lasting for 5 seconds or less as a normal condition. For concerns with exhaust rattles lasting longer than 5 seconds, follow WSM Section 309-00 Exhaust System - 5.2L 32V Ti-VCT - Supercharged > Diagnosis and Testing > Exhaust system.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54009 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2025 | 11020413 | PDF, 68 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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 874 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 317 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 2023 Ford F-150, the 42 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 30,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I purchased the truck 2 weeks ago brand new and it has a total of 570 miles on it. After not being used for one day, the truck would not start at all. I receive a warning indicating that I should stop safely now, that full power accessory mode is on and a check engine light. I connected a OBD scanner but no codes were generated.
2023 Ford F-150 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 26, 2023 · ODI 11551947
EIWE (Electronic Integrated Wheel End) failure or malfunction. Ford has multiple Field Service Engineers aware of the issue with no fix found. Multiple vehicles not only at one dealership but across the country have confirmed issues. Ford Customer Relations is aware and has an open case with me and many other owners.
2023 Ford F-150 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Dec 9, 2023 · ODI 11559262
A Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power light showed up on my 2024 Ford F150 4x4 (9700 miles) and again and several other times including today. I immediately took it to Ford of Columbia in Columbia TN, and the diagnoses that there was an issue with the Gear Shift Lever Module (Part #RL3Z7210AD) and it was ordered.
2024 Ford F-150 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Sep 22, 2025 · ODI 11689055
In depth: 2024 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2023 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 engine
Source: same model, same component group60 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford F-150 under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55228 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Aviator/Explorer/F-150/Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L (non-diesel) engine may need the front engine cove… |
| 25L05 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | Certain 2024-2025 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with 2.7L Engine Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) Label Update |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| TSB 26-2233 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 26-2116 to clarify the prior approval statement. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may ex… |
| SSM 54795 | Service bulletin | May 4, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine may… |
| TSB 26-2116 | Service bulletin | Apr 9, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2323 to update the Service procedure, Parts list, and add a clarification note about Cost Cap and Prior appro… |
| 24N12 S2 | Other | Mar 31, 2026 | Certain 2021 - 2022 Model Year Various Vehicles Engine Valve Inspection Test This submission includes : Technical Instructions Updated word… |
| SSM 54678 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L/5.2L engine, 2021-2025 F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome/F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicl… |
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 54009 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 54009 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 54009 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2025 Ford F-150, 2024 Ford F-150, 2023 Ford F-150. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.