Ford bulletin SSM 54016
What it saysSome 2021-2025 Bronco and 2024-2025 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L/3.0L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the engine front cover due to various concerns. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 4, 2025, received Jul 8, 2025, about the engine. It names 7 model years (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.
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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 2021-2025 Bronco and 2024-2025 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L/3.0L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the engine front cover due to various concerns. Workshop Manual, Section 303-01 has been updated with improved engine front cover removal and installation service procedure steps including a new body removal and install step.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54016 | Service bulletin | Jul 4, 2025 | 11020410 | PDF, 66 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 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,130 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 188 of them name 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.
The contact owned a 2025 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, another driver pulled closer to the vehicle and honked to get the contact's attention. The contact stated that upon rolling down the window, the contact noticed flames coming from the front driver's side wheel well. There was no warning light illuminated.
2025 Ford Bronco · Engine · filed with NHTSA Mar 17, 2026 · ODI 11725055
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormally loud knocking sounds. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with metal shavings in the engine oil and filter.
2022 Ford Bronco · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 17, 2022 · ODI 11489654
Complete power loss from transmission. Yes available for inspection. Power loss was experienced on at least 4 separate occasions. This occurred during either slowing down or stopping to make a left hand turn while yielding to oncoming traffic.
2025 Ford Ranger · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 6, 2026 · ODI 11736073
In depth: 2022 Ford Bronco engine problems → · 2021 Ford Bronco engine 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 group25 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models 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… |
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Inter… |
| TSB 26-2372 | Service bulletin | Aug 13, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2301. Reason for update: to update the Pinpoint Tests referenced in Step 1. Some of the vehicles listed in the M… |
| 25B51 | Other | May 9, 2026 | Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco, 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport, 2020-2022 Model Year Corsair and Escape, 2016-2024 Model Year Explor… |
| 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 54544 | Service bulletin | Feb 2, 2026 | Some 2025 Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagn… |
| SSM 54451 | Service bulletin | Dec 18, 2025 | Some 2025 Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with only… |
| SSM 54275 | Service bulletin | Oct 7, 2025 | Some 2021-2023 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost engine, 2021-2023 Aviator vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost or 3.0L plug… |
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 54016 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 54016 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 54016 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2025 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford Ranger and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.