Ford bulletin SSM 54548
What it saysSome 2025-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine built on or after 16-Aug-2025 may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0335 stored… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 2, 2026, received Feb 12, 2026, about the power train. It names 2 model years (2025–2026). 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.
Get the next Ford Explorer bulletin 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 2025-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L EcoBoost engine built on or after 16-Aug-2025 may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0335 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). DTC P033F may also be stored in the PCM. This may be due to a pin fit concern at PCM connector C1381E pin 7. To correct this condition, install a new terminal in wiring harness connector C1381E pin 7 (GN/BN) using terminal repair kit DU2Z-14474-CA. Refer to Wiring Diagram, Cell 5 for wiring repair information. For claiming use causal part 12A581 and labor operations 12650D and 12650D45WR.
Trouble codes it names: P0335 P033F
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54548 | Service bulletin | Feb 2, 2026 | 11028796 | PDF, 71 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| DU2Z-14474-CA | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (1 page), read Sep 29, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Ford’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Email me new Ford bulletins for the Explorer
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 153 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 50 of them name Electrical System, 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.
I had my car in drive in a parking spot. I was ready to go, put the car in drive, DID NOT MOVE but needed to put it in park fast to assist to a child in the back seat. I put it in park pretty fast. Took my seatbelt off and assisted child. It must have not engaged. Car rolled into my office metal mailbox. I 100% put it in park.
2026 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 25, 2026 · ODI 11759587
Gateway module does not work. I've had my 2025 vehicle since 11/21/2024 (over 7 months) and it has never worked. I have not had a safety update since 05/2024 when it was at the factory. There has been many OTA updates and updates that need to be preformed at dealership and have not had any completed.
2025 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 4, 2025 · ODI 11671252
After the Ford recall software update, the gear shifter will turn itself out of park and either into drive or reverse. The software update was in regards to the PCM resetting itself. We took it to the Ford dealer and because they can not duplicate the problem, the truck was returned to us.
2025 Ford Explorer · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jun 18, 2025 · ODI 11667778
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 group67 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer 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 26-2408 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… |
| 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… |
| TSB 26-2395 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | This article supersedes 26-2287. Reason for update: update the labor operation numbers to add MT to operations C, F, G, H, J, K, L and M, an… |
| SSM55059 | Service bulletin | Aug 3, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine, 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine, and 20… |
| TSB 26-2309 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2241. Reason For Update: update the parts list to correct the claim quantity of the part number JB3Z-4B496-B fro… |
| TSB 26-2287 | Service bulletin | Jun 18, 2026 | This article supersedes 25-2302. Reason for update: update the labor time allowance for F-150 vehicles, update the Parts list to replace the… |
| SSM 54902 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2026 | For 20202026 vehicles equipped with the 10R60 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford D… |
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 54548 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 54548 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 54548 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Ford Explorer, 2025 Ford Explorer. 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: 2025-2026 Explorer: built on or after 16 Aug 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.