Ford bulletin SSM 54140
What it saysSome 2021-2024 F-150 vehicles equipped with a B&O audio system (minor feature code IDBBQ), and various 2021-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a B&O audio system may exhibit a pop noise and/or static… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 16, 2025, received Aug 19, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 17 model years (2021–2024). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2021-2024 F-150 vehicles equipped with a B&O audio system (minor feature code IDBBQ), and various 2021-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a B&O audio system may exhibit a pop noise and/or static in the speakers at start up that cannot be turned down or off using the audio system controls. To confirm a vehicle is built with a certain minor feature code, review the build information by double-clicking the vehicle identification number (VIN) in the upper left corner on Professional Technician System (PTS). This may be due to software in the digital signal processing (DSP) module. To correct this condition, reprogram the DSP module to the latest software level using the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool. For claiming, use causal part 18B849 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D4.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54140 | Service bulletin | Aug 16, 2025 | 11021977 | 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 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 17 model years this bulletin names have filed 6,234 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,625 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 contact owns a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, a MIL warning illuminated, with the message “Immediate Loss of Power” displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off and the battery was drained. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped and independently shifted to park(P).
2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 5, 2023 · ODI 11558645
After charging for the first time at a DC fast charge station to 80%, I resumed my trip and drove about 3 miles to merge onto the expressway, my screen panel said "safely stop now", with a turtle logo and battery icon coming on. my car then came to a complete stop within a few seconds in the middle of the on-ramp leaving me stranded.
2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 6, 2023 · ODI 11525550
I pulled my 2022 Maverick into my parking spot at work and everything went dead. I had to use my key to open my tailgate. The tow service jumped the battery and it started, however, when they went to take it off the tow truck at the Ford dealership, it had to be jump started again. I was told the battery was bad and they changed it.
2022 Ford Maverick · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 9, 2023 · ODI 11537342
In depth: 2022 Ford Bronco Sport electrical problems → · 2021 Ford Bronco Sport electrical problems → · 2024 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2023 Ford F-150 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 group341 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… |
| 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… |
| TSB 26-2442 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement abov… |
| SSM 55221 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | For 20222026 vehicles equipped with a 8F35 transmission, a revision to the Road Testing Vehicle procedure has been made in the WSM, Section… |
| SSM 55220 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Expedition/Navigator vehicles may experience Android Auto connection or general Bluet… |
| 25E10-S1 | Emissions | Sep 30, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-20… |
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 54140 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 54140 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 54140 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 17 model years: 2024 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Expedition, 2022 Ford Expedition and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.