Ford bulletin SSM 54039
What it saysSome 2025 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the turbocharger oil return tube due to various concerns. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 11, 2025, received Jul 15, 2025, about the engine. It names 1 model year (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 2025 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the turbocharger oil return tube due to various concerns. Workshop Manual, Section 303-04 has been updated with improved turbocharger oil return tube removal and installation service procedure steps.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54039 | Service bulletin | Jul 11, 2025 | 11020704 | 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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 group28 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer 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… |
| SSM 55217 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2020-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with 3.0L EcoBoost/hybrid engine may exhibit blue or black exhaust smoke on startup for th… |
| TSB 26-2349 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2415. Reason for update: To add production build dates of the right-side engine valve cover. Some of the vehicle… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| SSM 54774 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator (MIL) lamp with engine… |
| SSM 54756 | Service bulletin | Apr 20, 2026 | 2021-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with the 2.3L EcoBoost engine may require air conditioning (A/C) compressor belt removal for various re… |
| 24N12 S2 | Other | Mar 31, 2026 | Certain 2021 - 2022 Model Year Various Vehicles Engine Valve Inspection Test This submission includes : Technical Instructions Updated word… |
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 54039 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 54039 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 54039 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Explorer. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.