Ford bulletin SSM 54504
What it saysSome 2016-2017 Edge/MKX, 2017 Continental/Fusion/MKZ vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L EcoBoost engine and built on 1-Apr-2016 and through 1-Jan-2017 may exhibit white or blue smoke from the exhaust, rough idle… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 16, 2026, received Jan 21, 2026, about the exterior lighting. It names 7 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2016–2017). 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.
Get the next Ford bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some 2016-2017 Edge/MKX, 2017 Continental/Fusion/MKZ vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L EcoBoost engine and built on 1-Apr-2016 and through 1-Jan-2017 may exhibit white or blue smoke from the exhaust, rough idle in neutral or park at normal operating temperature or after a hot restart. The vehicle may also exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306 and/or P0316, P0524 and/or P06DD with excessive oil consumption. Oil consumption may be 1 Liter (1 quart) in less than 4,800 km (3,000 miles). This may be due to the valve guides. To correct the condition replace the cylinder heads. During service and repair, achieving proper torque of the crankshaft pulley bolt is critical. Incorrect torque may allow the bolt to loosen resulting in timing gear failure and engine damage. Replacement of the bolt is critical to the repair. The bolt requires a 4 stage torque procedure. Hold the pulley using a universal holding tool OTC 4754 or equivalent. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 303-01. The bolt torque procedure can be
Trouble codes it names: P0300 P0301 P0302 P0303 P0304 P0305 P0306 P0316 P0524 P06DD
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54504 | Service bulletin | Jan 16, 2026 | 11027711 | PDF, 74 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 3 model years
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.
Email me new Ford bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,951 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 59 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 2017 Ford Fusion, the 19 owners who gave an odometer reading for Fuel/Propulsion System reported it at a median of 52,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I was driving home christmas night after spending the weekend with family, it was raining hard and windy (20-30mph gusts). While driving with my wipers on at 70mph on interstate 35 south just north of albert lea minnesota my wiper blades started to get caught in the wind, I heard a slapping noise a few times and then all the sudden as…
2016 Ford Edge · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Dec 28, 2016 · ODI 10938021
I was driving in the center lane on the brooklyn queens expressway traveling home from astoria, queens to my home in brooklyn. Having passed the atlantic avenue exit at approximately 3:15 PM and pressing on the gas pedal, the car lost acceleration and no matter how much I pressed the gas pedal the car could only go about 10 miles an…
2016 Lincoln MKX · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Sep 13, 2016 · ODI 10906061
Vehicle traveling on interstate at 70 MPH. Suddenly vehicle lost power which resulted in loss of power steering and acceleration, but instrument panel still had functionality. Had to coast to side of interstate with no throttle and came to a stop. Vehicle still was on but no acceleration.
2016 Ford Edge · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Aug 17, 2016 · ODI 10896774
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.
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 54504 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 54504 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 54504 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2017 Ford Edge, 2016 Ford Edge, 2017 Ford Fusion, 2017 Lincoln Continental, 2017 Lincoln MKX, 2016 Lincoln MKX and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2017 Continental/Fusion/MKZ: built 1 Apr 2016 – 1 Jan 2017 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.