Ford bulletin SSM 54515
What it says2023-2024 F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome Chassis/F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis and 2023-2025 F-650/F-750/E-Series vehicles equipped with a Dana rear axle and built on or after 01-Jul-2022 may have orange/red RTV sealant… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Jan 22, 2026, received Jan 27, 2026, about the power train. It names 21 model years (2023–2025). A manufacturer communication 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 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.
2023-2024 F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome Chassis/F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis and 2023-2025 F-650/F-750/E-Series vehicles equipped with a Dana rear axle and built on or after 01-Jul-2022 may have orange/red RTV sealant used as the gasket on the differential housing cover. This does not indicate any previous repairs as it is used by Dana during assembly.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54515 | Other | Jan 22, 2026 | 11027826 | 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2023 Ford F-53; 2024 Ford F-53; 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2023 Ford F-59; 2024 Ford F-59; 2023 Ford F-650 SD; 2024 Ford F-650 SD; 2025 Ford F-650 SD; 2023 Ford F-750 SD; 2024 Ford F-750 SD; 2025 Ford F-750 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 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 199 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 27 of them name Power Train, Suspension — 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.
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
The contact owns a 2023 Ford E-450. The contact stated that while driving after a cold start at approximately 2 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The rear wheels were spinning and smoking was detected. The driver depressed the brake pedal but the trailer fishtailed and crashed into a parked Toyota Venza Hybrid.
2023 Ford E-Series · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Feb 6, 2023 · ODI 11505753
Van does not always engage in reverse. Slips into neutral instead and rolls. Takes several attempts, sometimes over the course of 10+ minutes to get the transmission to engage into reverse. Problem has been intermittent over the past 30 days. May be related to NSTSA Recall 23V625 although not as described in notice 23S54
2024 Ford E-Series · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 3, 2023 · ODI 11553422
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 group64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 26-2406 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| TSB 26-2252 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| SSM 55098 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may… |
| SSM 54900 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 10R100 or 10R140 transmission may exhibit an intermittent failure to engage forward or… |
| SSM 54899 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | Some 2023-2026 F-53 Motorhome Chassis/F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis and 2024-2026 F-650/F-750/E-Series vehicles equipped with a 6R140 tra… |
| TSB 26-2263 | Service bulletin | May 30, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2112. Reason For Update: add 2026 model year vehicles, update LV fluid XT-10-QLVC and CXT-10-LV6 description 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, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford SSM 54515 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication 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 54515 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 54515 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 21 model years: 2025 Ford E-Series, 2024 Ford E-Series, 2023 Ford E-Series, 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty 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: built on or after 1 Jul 2022 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.