Ford bulletin SSM 54312
What it saysSome 2020-2026 Escape and 2021-2026 Corsair PHEV vehicles may require inspection of the high voltage battery due to rust, scratches, curb strikes, road debris, or other minor damage. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 21, 2025, received Oct 28, 2025, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 13 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2026). 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.
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 2020-2026 Escape and 2021-2026 Corsair PHEV vehicles may require inspection of the high voltage battery due to rust, scratches, curb strikes, road debris, or other minor damage. Section 414-03A of the Workshop Manual (WSM) has recently been updated to improve diagnostics for such damage and provides a list of low-level serviceable components for instances where replacement of the high voltage battery assembly is not warranted. Refer to WSM, Section 414-03A High Voltage Battery, Mounting and Cables > Diagnosis and Testing > High Voltage Battery Minor Damage Inspection. The Ford New Vehicle Limited Warranty covers manufacturing defects resulting from a defect in factory supplied materials or workmanship. Please refer to the Warranty section WHAT IS NOT COVERED, which includes curb strikes and accidents.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54312 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2025 | 11024525 | PDF, 69 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 7 model years
Lincoln 6 model years
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 13 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,219 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 390 of them name Fuel/Propulsion 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.
On the 2020 Ford Escape, the 45 owners who gave an odometer reading for Fuel/Propulsion System reported it at a median of 48,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I want to hold Ford accountable for Recall 23S27. Ford continues to miss their own planned dates to come up with a solution. I want them to buy back their Lemon at Fair Trade-In Value per KBB, which is $30,500. This reminds me of the Ford Pinto fiasco many years ago. Thanks
2022 Ford Escape · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Dec 14, 2023 · ODI 11560111
I was advised by Lincoln that a potential plug in hybrid battery flaw could result in damage to the vehicle and its occupants. This flaw has been the subject of two Lincoln recalls /customer satisfaction notices. (25SC4 and 26N15).
2024 Lincoln Corsair · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Oct 14, 2026 · ODI 11771217
On XXX at approximately 2:45pm MDT I was traveling on XXX in . I had approximately a quarter tank of gas. I received a low fuel alert, stating 50 miles to empty. My plan was to stop at the next exit approximately 10 miles away.
2025 Ford Escape · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Aug 19, 2026 · ODI 11757994
In depth: 2022 Ford Escape fuel system problems → · 2021 Ford Escape fuel system problems → · 2020 Ford Escape fuel system problems →
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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group10 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54857 | Service bulletin | May 21, 2026 | 2020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped wi… |
| 23B64 | Other | Apr 8, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 23B64 Certain 2020-2024 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Equipped with High Voltage Batteries Battery Energ… |
| SSM 54615 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2021-2026 Corsair vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine may exhibit a fuel door that won't open with diagnostic tro… |
| SSM 54610 | Service bulletin | Feb 27, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Escape/Corsair PHEV only vehicles built on 21-Jul-2025 and through 27-Oct-2025 may exhibit an intermittent no crank/no start… |
| SSM 54586 | Service bulletin | Feb 16, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Escape/Maverick/Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with an 8-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) display may exhibit a condition… |
| SSM 54290 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2025 | Some 2025 Escape/Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) display may exhibit a condition where the fuel gau… |
| VDM-24.7.5.2 | Over-the-air update | Sep 3, 2025 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses a key off load battery usage caused by the Vehicle Dynamics Module staying awake |
| SSM 54138 | Service bulletin | Aug 14, 2025 | Some 2024-2025 F-150, Expedition/Navigator, Escape/Corsair, Bronco, Explorer, Mustang, Maverick vehicles equipped with a 1.5/2.0/2.3/3.5L Ec… |
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 54312 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 54312 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 54312 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 13 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Escape, 2025 Ford Escape, 2024 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Escape, 2022 Ford Escape, 2021 Ford Escape and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.