Ford bulletin SSM 54326
What it saysSome 2018-2025 F-150 and 2018-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a tailgate step may exhibit a step assembly that binds/will not open or opens/pops up while driving. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 24, 2025, received Oct 28, 2025, about the structure. It names 44 model years (2018–2026). 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 2018-2025 F-150 and 2018-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a tailgate step may exhibit a step assembly that binds/will not open or opens/pops up while driving. This could be due to an incorrect adjustment of the tailgate step assembly. Before replacing any components for this concern, follow the revised Tailgate Step Adjustment procedure in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-04.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54326 | Service bulletin | Oct 24, 2025 | 11024532 | 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.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2018 Ford F-550 SD; 2019 Ford F-550 SD; 2020 Ford F-550 SD; 2021 Ford F-550 SD; 2022 Ford F-550 SD; 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.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 35 model years this bulletin names have filed 10,808 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 265 of them name Structure — 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 2018 Ford F-150, the 111 owners who gave an odometer reading for Structure reported it at a median of 10,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The tailgate has opened randomly on about 4 or 5 occasions most recently the tailgate opened making a right turn while the horse trailer was connected to it and damaged the tailgate. It seems to open on right turns or when washed or been raining. The key is kept in the console and i always apply the parking brake. It is very random.
2022 Ford F-450 Super Duty · Structure · filed with NHTSA Nov 1, 2024
Tailgate latch gets stuck and also drops while driving and turning. The tailgate dropped involuntarily when I was hauling my horse trailer and damaged both my truck tailgate and my trailer jack. I had to close the tailgate again to get my horses off the road and now the tailgate is stuck and I cannot unhitch my trailer
2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Structure · filed with NHTSA Feb 18, 2019
The vehicle is stationary and when the passenger door is unlocked with the key fob the tailgate fails down. When the driver exits the vehicle the tailgate falls down. By falls down I mean the tailgate on the pickup is closed and in the vertical position and the only way to open the tailgate is with the key fob.
2018 Ford F-150 · Structure · filed with NHTSA Apr 24, 2018
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group16 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2092 V2 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2466 to add Bronco Sport, Escape, Maverick and Corsair, as well as removing Expedition and Navigator. One tim… |
| SSM 55118 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2026 | Some of the following vehicles: * 2023-2025 F-Super Duty built on or before 02-Feb-2025 * 2024-2026 Ranger/Bronco/Mustang * 2024-2025 F-15… |
| 25N10S1 | Other | Jun 23, 2026 | Certain 2017-2025 F-450 – F-600 Chassis Cab Upfitted with an Aerial Bucket Frame Rail Crack |
| DDM-26.21.5 | Over-the-air update | May 5, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Prevents window bounce backs after using the one touch up feature" |
| SSM 54705 | Service bulletin | Mar 31, 2026 | Some 2021-2025 F-150 vehicles may exhibit an "Active Air Dam System Fault See Manual" warning message displayed in the instrument panel clus… |
| SSM 54564 | Service bulletin | Feb 11, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 F-150 and 2024-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with one-touch up/down front windows may exhibit a window not responding t… |
| 26P02 | Other | Feb 10, 2026 | Certain 2025-2026 Model Year F-150 and F-250-600 vehicles Driver Door Module (DDM) & Passenger Door Module (PDM) Software Updat |
| SSM 54507 | Service bulletin | Jan 19, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above equipped with one-touch up/down front windows may exhibit a window not responding t… |
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 54326 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 54326 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 54326 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 44 model years: 2025 Ford F-150, 2024 Ford F-150, 2023 Ford F-150, 2022 Ford F-150, 2021 Ford F-150, 2020 Ford F-150 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.