Ford bulletin SSM 54157
What it saysSome 2024-2025 F-150 vehicles may exhibit poor air conditioning (A/C) cooling performance due to a low refrigerant charge level. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 20, 2025, received Aug 26, 2025, about the engine. It names 2 model years (2024–2025). 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 communicationSome 2024-2025 F-150 vehicles may exhibit poor air conditioning (A/C) cooling performance due to a low refrigerant charge level. This may be due to a leak in the A/C system. All vehicles are verified as filled with refrigerant at the plant and the A/C refrigerant system contains dye from the plant to help identify the source of leaks. Prior to any A/C compressor replacement or simply recharging the A/C system, the Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 412-00 > Diagnosis and Testing > Refrigerant Leak Detection has been updated to provide diagnostics for A/C leaks at all connection points.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54157 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2025 | 11022151 | PDF, 65 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 361 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 24 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 truck went full throttle on its own hitting another vehicle with injures. Had to turn the truck to stop the engine stuck in full throttle
2024 Ford F-150 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Sep 11, 2025 · ODI 11686770
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 group60 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford F-150 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… |
| 25L05 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | Certain 2024-2025 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with 2.7L Engine Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) Label Update |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| TSB 26-2233 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 26-2116 to clarify the prior approval statement. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may ex… |
| 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… |
| TSB 26-2116 | Service bulletin | Apr 9, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2323 to update the Service procedure, Parts list, and add a clarification note about Cost Cap and Prior appro… |
| 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 54678 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L/5.2L engine, 2021-2025 F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome/F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicl… |
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 54157 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 54157 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 54157 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2025 Ford F-150, 2024 Ford F-150. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.