Ford bulletin SSM 54068
What it saysSome 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" warning message displayed in the IPC and an illuminated malfunction… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 24, 2025, received Jul 30, 2025, about the power train. 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 the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" warning message displayed in the IPC and an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P1285 and/or P1299 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM) during hard acceleration or under high load conditions. This may be due to machining chips trapped in the cylinder head causing a potential blockage in the coolant passage near the cylinder head temperature 2 (CHT2) port. To diagnose this condition, start the vehicle and idle for 15 minutes. Perform a road test at a temperature above -20°C (-4°F) and apply wide-open throttle (WOT) hard accelerations in rapid succession. If the concern cannot be replicated, drain and refill the coolant system. If the concern can be replicated, drain the coolant system. Disconnect the charge air cooler inlet and outlet hose, overflow hose, upper and lower hose of the radiator and position these components aside. Disconnect the inlet and outlet coolant hoses of the heater core and position
Trouble codes it names: P1285 P1299
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54068 | Service bulletin | Jul 24, 2025 | 11020958 | PDF, 76 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 249 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 85 of them name Engine, Power Train — 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.
a 2023 Ford Escape. while driving at approximately 76 MPH, I observed a warning chime dinging, the power train warning light illuminated, and the low engine coolant message was displayed. I received a notification via the Ford Pass APP stating that "There was a failure with the vehicle and to see the dealer'.
2023 Ford Escape · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed, and the vehicle drove under reduced power. The contact exited the highway, pulled into a gas station, and waited for the engine to cool down.
2025 Ford Escape · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 23, 2026
Failed to shift into reverse. Seems to run some sort of safety check. Still does not reverse Dash active and showing messages from safety check - lights work. Wont shift into reverse. Car is parked in garage where it has been for previous 14 hours.
2023 Ford Escape · Engine · filed with NHTSA Nov 26, 2024
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 group39 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Escape 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| TSB 26-2328 | Service bulletin | Jul 15, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2194. Reason for update: update the Parts list to correct a part description " Loctite 638", update the claim qu… |
| SSM 54939 | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shud… |
| TSB 26-2210 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * Engine misfire condition * Illuminat… |
| SSM 54825 | Service bulletin | May 15, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 Escape vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnosti… |
| SSM 54797 | Service bulletin | May 4, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shud… |
| TSB 26-2194 | Service bulletin | Apr 26, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2627. Reason for update: To add a Step to reprogram the all-wheel drive (AWD) module for Bronco Sport vehicles.… |
| SSM 54595 | Service bulletin | Feb 19, 2026 | Some 2025 Maverick/Corsair and 2025-2026 Escape/Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission and built on 01-Sep-2024 and throug… |
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 54068 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 54068 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 54068 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2025 Ford Escape, 2024 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Escape. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2023-2025 Escape: built on or before 16 Sep 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.