Ford bulletin SSM 54363
What it saysSome 2021-2025 Expedition/Navigator/F-150/F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome/F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis/F-650/F-750/Transit vehicles equipped with a 2.7L/3.5L (non hybrid)/6.8L/7.3L engine and 2021-2026 E-Series… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 10, 2025, received Nov 13, 2025, about the engine. It names 65 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 communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Some 2021-2025 Expedition/Navigator/F-150/F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome/F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis/F-650/F-750/Transit vehicles equipped with a 2.7L/3.5L (non hybrid)/6.8L/7.3L engine and 2021-2026 E-Series may exhibit a rattle/scraping noise from the bellhousing area on start-up. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 Engine System - General Information > Diagnosis and Testing and 303-06 > Starting System has been updated to address this condition. Additionally, WSM, Section 303-01 > Removal and Installation > Engine to Transmission Spacer Plate has been added to address this condition. Refer to the revised WSM sections for normal diagnosis.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54363 | Service bulletin | Nov 10, 2025 | 11025526 | PDF, 68 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 60 model years
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 Ford F-53; 2022 Ford F-53; 2023 Ford F-53; 2024 Ford F-53; 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; 2021 Ford F-59; 2022 Ford F-59; 2023 Ford F-59; 2024 Ford F-59; 2021 Ford F-650 SD; 2022 Ford F-650 SD; 2023 Ford F-650 SD; 2024 Ford F-650 SD; 2025 Ford F-650 SD; 2022 Ford F-750; 2021 Ford F-750 SD; 2023 Ford F-750 SD; 2024 Ford F-750 SD; 2025 Ford F-750 SD.
Lincoln 5 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 42 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,734 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,646 of them name Power Train, Engine — 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 2021 Ford F-150, the 88 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 58,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The 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 2022 Ford F-450SD. The contact stated while driving 50-65 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power and the instrument panel lights started flickering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart, and the contact resumed driving.
2022 Ford F-450 Super Duty · Engine · filed with NHTSA Feb 6, 2025 · ODI 11641049
In depth: 2021 Ford Expedition transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2021 Ford Expedition engine problems → · 2024 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2023 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain 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 engine
Source: same model, same component group105 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55228 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Aviator/Explorer/F-150/Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L (non-diesel) engine may need the front engine cove… |
| 25L05 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | Certain 2024-2025 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with 2.7L Engine Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) Label Update |
| 26N03 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N03 Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles w/ 6.7L Diesel Engines Diesel Particulate Filter Replac… |
| 26E02 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 26E02 Certain 2016-2019 F-650 - 750 and 2017-2019 F-350 - 550 Vehicles Equipped With 6.7L Diesel… |
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Inter… |
| TSB 26-2349 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2415. Reason for update: To add production build dates of the right-side engine valve cover. Some of the vehicle… |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| SSM 54969 | Service bulletin | Jun 26, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Navigator vehicles may have diagnostic trouble code (DTC) B14E4:55 stored in the body control module (BCM). The rear turn sig… |
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 54363 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 54363 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 54363 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 65 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford E-Series, 2025 Ford E-Series, 2024 Ford E-Series, 2023 Ford E-Series, 2022 Ford E-Series, 2021 Ford E-Series and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.