Ford bulletin SSM 54180
What it saysSome 2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may require retrieval of the factory keycode for factory installed wired keyless entry keypads. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 29, 2025, received Sep 2, 2025, about the steering. It names 4 model years (2026). 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 2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may require retrieval of the factory keycode for factory installed wired keyless entry keypads. If Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool retrieval is not available, the code can be retrieved using 2 programmed keys. Perform the following steps within 10 seconds. Place the first programmed key into the ignition lock cylinder or backup starting location and turn the ignition on. Turn the ignition off and remove the first programmed key. Place the second programmed key into the ignition lock cylinder or backup location and turn the ignition on. The factory keycode displays momentarily in the instrument panel cluster message center. Do not submit a warranty claim for this procedure. This procedure is in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-14 > Description and Operation.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54180 | Service bulletin | Aug 29, 2025 | 11022276 | 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2026 Ford F-550 SD.
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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 9 of them name Electrical System, Steering — 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.
Truck lost all electrical power while backing a trailer up. Engine died, no steering, no brakes, no power on dash, no emergence brakes, no power to door locks, no power to windows. If vehicle had been moving any faster no telling what could have been. Vehicle was towed to ford dealership and zero reasons for such a total loss of power.
2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 6, 2026
The trailer light control module is intermittently causing trailer light faults messages and signal failures. This is associated to recall 26C10. The software update doesn’t correct the problem. Ford does not have the hardware on hand to replace the failing part. This is a safety issue for us who are on the road towing travel trailers
2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 16, 2026
Trailer Brake Control Module (TRM) Software update for Recall Notice 26C10 failed and caused module to fail. Replacement part attempt #2 also failed. Vehicle has been with dealership service department with no solution for 20 days. Vehicle is currently still at dealership service center.
2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 16, 2026
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 steering
Source: same model, same component group11 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (steering), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCCM-26.AA | Over-the-air update | Apr 29, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses potential key off load battery usage caused by the Steering Column Control Module keeping the Contr… |
| SSM 54763 | Service bulletin | Apr 22, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles built without lane departure warning (built with minor feature code HLEAA) and 2025-2026 Expedition/Nav… |
| 26H01 | Other | Apr 17, 2026 | Harvest Program 26H01 Certain 2024 Model Year F-250 and F-350 Vehicles Steering Column Replacement |
| SSM 54594 | Service bulletin | Feb 18, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit rain sensitive wipers (if equipped) settings that do not change when selected in the center… |
| SSM 54333 | Service bulletin | Oct 28, 2025 | Some 2023-2025 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit a no crank/no start or intermittent no crank/no start with multiple warning indicators and… |
| SSM 53066 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit various steering concerns such as perceived looseness and/or wander. WSM, Section 211-02 an… |
| SSM 52524 | Service bulletin | May 9, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles built on 22-May-2023 and through 15-Dec-2023 may require repairs of the power steering system for vario… |
| SSM 52477 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit various diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) related to the steering angle sensor. Prior to any… |
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 54180 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 54180 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 54180 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2026 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2026 Ford F-550 SD. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.