Ford bulletin SSM 54453
What it saysSome 2025 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 7-speaker audio system (minor feature code IDBAL) may exhibit an intermittent no audio condition. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 18, 2025, received Jan 7, 2026, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 1 model year (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 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 7-speaker audio system (minor feature code IDBAL) may exhibit an intermittent no audio condition. To confirm a vehicle is built with a certain minor feature code, review the build information by clicking "Additional Information" under Vehicle ID Tab > Vehicle Information, or double-clicking the vehicle identification number (VIN) in the upper left corner on Professional Technician System (PTS). To correct this condition, disconnect the negative battery cable and wait two minutes before reconnecting to temporarily restore audio. Inform the customers that they can continue to drive the vehicle and engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected in Q2 2026. Continue to monitor PTS for additional information and schedule service appointments for customers once the repair becomes available.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54453 | Service bulletin | Dec 18, 2025 | 11027148 | PDF, 66 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 themA 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 18 of them name 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 had an open safety recall at the time the dealership sold it to me. The recall existed before the sale and the dealership knew or should have known about it. The dealer submitted loan paperwork and accepted funding but never delivered the vehicle to me. I was not informed of the open recall before signing.
2025 Ford Bronco · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 27, 2026 · ODI 11727443
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 group5 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Bronco under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCM-26.6.3 | Other | Sep 15, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| PCM-26.2.11.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 9, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| PCM-26.2.11.4 | Over-the-air update | Sep 4, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| 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… |
| 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, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford SSM 54453 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 54453 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 54453 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Bronco. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.