Ford bulletin SSM 54233
What it saysSome 2025 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit a "Front Camera Fault Service Required" message appearing in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C1001:31… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 23, 2025, received Oct 2, 2025, about the visibility/wiper. It names 2 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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.
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 communicationSome 2025 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit a "Front Camera Fault Service Required" message appearing in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C1001:31 setting in the image processing module A (IPMA). This may be due to a loose or partial connection at the front windshield camera, connector C9449 on Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility and C9128 on Aviator. Check and verify this connection prior to starting Workshop Manual (WSM) Pinpoint Tests. If the connection is secure, continue with normal diagnostics.
Trouble codes it names: C1001
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54233 | Service bulletin | Sep 23, 2025 | 11023550 | PDF, 70 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 1 model year
Lincoln 1 model year
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 118 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 44 of them name Electrical System, Visibility/Wiper — 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 contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the front passenger's side window failed to roll up or down as needed. The contact stated that the front driver's side window motor was previously replaced due to the same failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired.
2025 Lincoln Aviator · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Aug 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V157000 (Visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted.
2025 Ford Explorer · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Jul 7, 2025
Gateway module does not work. I've had my 2025 vehicle since 11/21/2024 (over 7 months) and it has never worked. I have not had a safety update since 05/2024 when it was at the factory. There has been many OTA updates and updates that need to be preformed at dealership and have not had any completed.
2025 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 4, 2025
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 visibility/wiper
Source: same model, same component group13 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (visibility/wiper), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55186 | Service bulletin | Sep 18, 2026 | Some 2026 Explorer vehicles may exhibit wind noise and/or water intrusion from the panoramic roof panel glass seal. Inspection may find that… |
| SSM 55069 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Some 2020-2025 Explorer vehicles equipped with a power roof opening panel may exhibit a sunshield with localized bunching or binding/inopera… |
| 26N09 | Other | Jun 11, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N09 Certain 2020 Model Year Escape, 2020-2021 Corsair, 2020-2021 Aviator, and 2020- 2021 and 2023 Explorer V… |
| SSM 54829 | Service bulletin | May 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power autofold exterior mirrors may exhibit concerns with the… |
| DDM-26.21.5 | Over-the-air update | May 14, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Prevents window bounce backs after using the one touch up feature |
| HCM-25.5.0 | Over-the-air update | Feb 19, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Enhanced dynamic bending lights performance " |
| 25N19 | Other | Dec 8, 2025 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25N19 Certain 2024-2026 Model Year Corsair and Certain 2025-2026 Model Year Explorer and Aviator Vehicles Win… |
| SSM 54272 | Service bulletin | Oct 5, 2025 | Some 2025 Aviator vehicles may exhibit a condition where the rear windows are locked when the child lock is off, and the rear windows are un… |
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 54233 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 54233 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 54233 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Explorer, 2025 Lincoln Aviator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.