Ford bulletin SSM 54503
What it saysSome 2021-2025 F-150, 2022-2025 Expedition/Navigator, 2023-2026 F-Super Duty, 2024-2025 Ranger and 2026 Transit vehicles may exhibit a discharged battery and/or a no crank/no start condition. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 17, 2026, received Jan 21, 2026, about the power train. It names 31 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2021–2026). 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 2021-2025 F-150, 2022-2025 Expedition/Navigator, 2023-2026 F-Super Duty, 2024-2025 Ranger and 2026 Transit vehicles may exhibit a discharged battery and/or a no crank/no start condition. The vehicle may also exhibit a clicking noise from the trailer module (TRM) while the vehicle is off. This may be due to software in the TRM.<br /><br />Verify the TRM software part number in the vehicle using Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) to be PC3T-19J297-BF, PC3T-19J297-FF, ML3T-19J297-CD or ML3T-19J297-GD. To confirm a vehicle is equipped with a certain software level, review the software information by hovering over the "Diagnostics" tab in Professional Technician System (PTS) and selecting "Vehicle Software". If one of the listed software part numbers is present, follow the Service Procedure to reprogram the TRM. For vehicles with any other software part number in the TRM, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 414-01 to continue with normal diagnostics outside of this article. For claiming, use causal part 19H332 and labor operation 12651D and 12651D4 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Man
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54503 | Service bulletin | Jan 17, 2026 | 11027712 | PDF, 71 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 27 model years
Also 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.
Lincoln 4 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 27 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,737 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,103 of them name Power Train — 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
Passenger side rear axle retention bolt sheared off. Discovered during routine maintenance / tire rotation. Unknown how safety was at risk -- dealer told me once discovered that the vehicle would be repaired under warranty, and they could do in 24 hours, so no discussion about unsafe to drive as others have reported they were told.
2022 Ford F-150 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 20, 2022 · ODI 11494333
In depth: 2024 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2023 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2022 Ford F-150 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2021 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group201 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2436 | Service bulletin | Oct 30, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may have diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P05B0 stored in the powertrain control modul… |
| TSB 26-2448 | Service bulletin | Oct 27, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2236. Reason for update: To consolidate prior articles and revise the Service Procedure to add an AAD blade limi… |
| TSB 26-2408 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2309. Reason for update: update the Model section to remove Aviator 10R80, update theParts list to add 3.3L to W… |
| TSB 26-2431 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason For Update: update the Service Procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with the new Fo… |
| SSM 55257 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2026 | Some 2024 Ranger vehicles equipped with a rotary selectable drive mode control may exhibit a condition where the Drive Mode will change unco… |
| 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 26-2408 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2309. Reason For Update: update the Model section to remove Aviator 10R80, update the Parts list to add 3.3L to… |
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 54503 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 54503 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 54503 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 31 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Expedition, 2024 Ford Expedition, 2023 Ford Expedition, 2022 Ford Expedition, 2025 Ford F-150, 2024 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.