Ford bulletin SSM 54253
What it saysSome 2025 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit a condition where the instrument panel cluster (IPC) displays an unexpected Watch the Road warning while using BlueCruise with no diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs)… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 29, 2025, received Oct 2, 2025, about the forward collision avoidance. 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2025 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit a condition where the instrument panel cluster (IPC) displays an unexpected Watch the Road warning while using BlueCruise with no diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) stored related to the driver-assist systems. This may be due to the steering column tilt angle, driver seat position (height and backrest angle) and/or the software within the driver status monitor camera (DSMC). Replacing components is not expected to resolve this issue. Optimize driver head position by adjusting the steering column tilt angle and driver seat position (height and backrest angle) to ensure the DSMC (mounted on top of the steering column) has a clear view of the drivers entire face from chin to forehead. The driver must view the IPC display above the steering wheel and not be able to see the IPC display through the openings of the steering wheel from the seated position. Provide both Expedition and Navigator customers with a printout of the Lincoln Navigator Owners Manual page titled, Lincoln BlueCruise > How Does BlueCruise Work. The Expedition Owner's Manual is in process
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54253 | Service bulletin | Sep 29, 2025 | 11023570 | PDF, 72 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.
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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 51 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 22 of them name Forward Collision Avoidance, 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.
This vehicle has been returned to service 5 times. It is currently in service for the same 4 issues that it was taken to service for the very first time on 12/10/2025. This includes inappropriate braking on the interstate, driver window malfunction, the key intermittently stops working, and the connectivity does not regularly work.
2025 Lincoln Navigator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 2, 2026 · ODI 11715174
This was a rental vehicle hybrid, while driving on a highway, the vehicle first developed a flat tire. Afterward, while the vehicle was in motion, smoke appeared and the vehicle caught fire spontaneously. There was no collision or impact of any kind. The driver pulled over and all passengers exited safely.
2025 Ford Expedition · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 12, 2026 · ODI 11743790
The pre collision avoidance system doesn’t activate at all even though the adaptive cruise control works properly. Has been seen and evaluated by Dealership technician as well as having a Ford engineer remotely logged into the vehicle. All modules have been updated and the issue still isn’t resolved.
2025 Ford Expedition · Forward Collision Avoidance · filed with NHTSA Jul 11, 2026 · ODI 11749778
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 forward collision avoidance
Source: same model, same component group4 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (forward collision avoidance), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55071 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature intermitten… |
| ACM-25.3.3 | Over-the-air update | Feb 10, 2026 | "25SA2 Recall remedy - Audio Control Module update to address intsances where the pedestrian sounder alert sound may not be generated by the… |
| DSMC-25.15 | Over-the-air update | Feb 5, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Addresses a false Driver Facing Camera signal that may trigger an error message" |
| SSM 53760 | Service bulletin | May 12, 2025 | Some 2023-2024 Escape/Corsair vehicles equipped with driver assistance features with minor feature code DBCAB for Escape and minor feature 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 54253 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 54253 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 54253 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Expedition, 2025 Lincoln Navigator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.