Ford bulletin SSM 54602
What it saysSome 2025 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 27-Jun-2025 may exhibit a condition where the door upper moulding(s) on any of the four doors contact and damage the paint located under the upper-most portion… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 24, 2026, received Mar 3, 2026, about the structure. It names 2 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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.
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 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 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 27-Jun-2025 may exhibit a condition where the door upper moulding(s) on any of the four doors contact and damage the paint located under the upper-most portion of the B-pillar applique(s). This may be due to a lack of buffer material between the moulding(s) and the door surface. Inform the customer that Ford is aware of the concern and engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected to be announced by 30-June-2026. This concern does not affect vehicle durability and the customer can continue to drive the vehicle. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information and schedule a service appointment for the customer once the repair becomes available.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54602 | Service bulletin | Feb 24, 2026 | 11029358 | PDF, 67 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 1 model year
Lincoln 1 model year
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
In June 2025, I bought a new 2025 Ford Expedition King Ranch. While washing my SUV by hand, I discovered a manufacturing defect on the roof—Ford Manufacturing had left exposed welding and rivets. The issue is quite noticeable, with depressions around the rivets and welds so deep they could hold golf balls.
2025 Ford Expedition · Structure · filed with NHTSA Feb 2, 2026 · ODI 11715033
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group24 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55229 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Navigator vehicles equipped with a second row floor console may experience a sliding cover over the cup holders that has beco… |
| SSM 55107 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards may exhibit an intermittent condition where the power running boa… |
| 26B11 | Other | Jun 5, 2026 | Certain 2025 Model Year Expedition and Navigator Vehicles Front and Rear Door Paint Correction and Upper Moulding Isolator Installation |
| PDM-26.21.5 | Over-the-air update | May 12, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Prevents window bounce backs after using the one touch up feature |
| DDM-26.21.5 | Over-the-air update | May 5, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Prevents window bounce backs after using the one touch up feature" |
| TSB 26-2178 | Service bulletin | Apr 17, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit one or both sides of the front bumper lower cover becoming detached. Th… |
| TSB 26-2154 | Service bulletin | Apr 9, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a concern where both the liftgate and tailgate open when commanded by t… |
| BCM-26.230.0 | Over-the-air update | Apr 2, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses instances where the rear right hand door may fail to unlock when using the passive entry feature |
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 54602 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 54602 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 54602 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Expedition, 2025 Lincoln Navigator. 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 Expedition/Navigator: built on or before 27 Jun 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.