Ford bulletin SSM 54116
What it saysVarious 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a partially or fully black center display screen at start-up using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 7, 2025, received Aug 12, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 72 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2019–2024). 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 communicationVarious 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a partially or fully black center display screen at start-up using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This does not affect rear camera operation. This may be due to interference from the phone being connected into the media hub using a universal serial bus (USB) cable during SYNC system boot up. To correct his condition, advise the customer to disconnect the USB cable from the phone. If the center display screen displays normally, reconnect the phone. If the concern persists, disconnect the phone from the USB cable, cycle the ignition off and open the driver's door so the interior lights come on. Close the door, start the vehicle and wait for the center display screen to boot up past the start-up animation and display the home screen, then reconnect the phone using the USB cable. If the concern persists after this procedure, follow normal Workshop Manual diagnostics for a blank screen concern.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54116 | Service bulletin | Aug 7, 2025 | 11021803 | PDF, 69 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 56 model years
and 13 more on this site: 2023 Ford Ranger, 2022 Ford Ranger, 2021 Ford Ranger, 2020 Ford Ranger, 2019 Ford Ranger, 2024 Ford Transit, 2023 Ford Transit, 2022 Ford Transit, 2021 Ford Transit, 2020 Ford Transit, 2021 Ford Transit Connect, 2020 Ford Transit Connect, 2019 Ford Transit Connect.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2020 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD.
Lincoln 16 model years
and 8 more on this site: 2021 Lincoln Corsair, 2020 Lincoln Corsair, 2020 Lincoln MKZ, 2019 Lincoln MKZ, 2020 Lincoln Nautilus, 2019 Lincoln Nautilus, 2021 Lincoln Navigator, 2020 Lincoln Navigator.
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 69 model years this bulletin names have filed 15,710 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2,325 of them name Electrical 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 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, the 67 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 41,426 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The center display went blank and a/c controls under it would not work. Stopped vehicle and pushed ignition button to off and waited 1 minute and pushed ignition back to on on and display was still blank. Got to destination and pushed ignition to off. The next day when I got into vehicle and pushed ignition button to on the display worked
2024 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 24, 2026 · ODI 11746112
Check engine light came on at 24k miles. Alert on Ford Pass app said the engine wasn't heating up to operating temperature fast enough. Had a second Alert come up the next time I drove the car saying there was an electrical issue in the vehicle causing anti lock breaks and other important driver assistance features to not work including…
2021 Ford EcoSport · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 7, 2023 · ODI 11558901
The screen freezes up or goes blank while driving or upon starting up this is happened over a dozen times. When this happens the driver assist stops working along with the back up cameras the bluetooth the navigation everything that is on the screen is not available to me this is a huge safety hazard the dealership is aware of the issue…
2019 Lincoln Nautilus · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 17, 2020 · ODI 11340024
In depth: 2022 Ford Bronco Sport electrical problems → · 2021 Ford Bronco Sport electrical problems → · 2022 Ford Escape electrical problems → · 2021 Ford Escape electrical 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group559 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2449 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2428. Reason for update: to update the Service Procedure to remove the fuel tank isolation valve replacement and… |
| SSM 55262 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards built on or before 13-Sep-2026 may exhibit an intermittent condit… |
| 26-2431 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason for update: update the Service procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with new Ford D… |
| TSB 26-2439 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and radio system… |
| SSM 55258 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent electronic static/buzzing/screeching/humming noise from the front a… |
| SSM 55256 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2027 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power folding mirrors may exhibit concerns with the auto foldi… |
| SSM 55247 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles may experience an "Advance Front Lighting Features Temporarily Unavailable" message with diagnostic trouble… |
| SSM 55255 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 360-degree camera may exhibit a distorted or corrupted 360-degree camera image in the c… |
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 54116 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 54116 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 54116 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 72 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2024 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford EcoSport, 2021 Ford EcoSport and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.