Ford bulletin SSM 54311
What it says2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may be equipped from the factory with a power steering system filled with Motorcraft® MERCON® LV Automatic Transmission Fluid XT-10-QLVC or XL-22 high temperature power steering fluid… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 21, 2025, received Oct 28, 2025, about the power train. It names 16 model years (2023–2026). 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.
Get the next Ford bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communication2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may be equipped from the factory with a power steering system filled with Motorcraft® MERCON® LV Automatic Transmission Fluid XT-10-QLVC or XL-22 high temperature power steering fluid that looks like clear hydraulic fluid. Both fluids are interchangeable in the power steering system when service is required. Workshop Manual, Section 211-02 > Power Steering > Specifications has been updated to provide the correct power steering fluid usage.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54311 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2025 | 11024524 | PDF, 67 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: 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2025 Ford F-550 SD; 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.
Email me new Ford bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 12 model years this bulletin names have filed 237 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 45 of them name Power Train, 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.
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that a software update had been completed on the TCM.
2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 16, 2025 · ODI 11674055
Less than 4000 miles- first transmission failed while pulling a large trailer- ford replaced the transmission and the new transmission, only 200 miles later did the same thing when pulling a trailer, up hill. It throws the transmission into 10th gear and you loose all power, Check engine light comes on and it slams back into 4th gear.
2025 Ford F-450 Super Duty · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Sep 3, 2025 · ODI 11684755
The contact owns a 2025 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel inadvertently turned to the right, then pulled to the opposite direction. The contact stated the steering wheel was cocked to the left or right even though the vehicle was driving straight down the road.
2025 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Steering · filed with NHTSA Jun 12, 2026 · ODI 11743654
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group61 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55218 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | For 20202026 vehicles equipped with the 10R140 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford… |
| TSB 26-2088 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 1, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 24-2249. Reason for update: update the claim quantity of the torque converter nuts, part number and claim quantity… |
| TSB 26-2406 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| TSB 26-2252 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| SSM 55098 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may… |
| SSM 54900 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 10R100 or 10R140 transmission may exhibit an intermittent failure to engage forward or… |
| TSB 26-2263 | Service bulletin | May 30, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2112. Reason For Update: add 2026 model year vehicles, update LV fluid XT-10-QLVC and CXT-10-LV6 description to… |
| TSB 26-2251 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2545. Reason for update: To correct the current Pinpoint Test description. Some of the vehicles listed in the… |
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 54311 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 54311 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 54311 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 16 model years: 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-350 Super Duty and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.