Ford bulletin SSM 54609
What it saysSome 2025 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 7-speaker audio system (minor feature code IDBAL) may exhibit an intermittent no audio condition. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 27, 2026, received Mar 4, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 1 model year (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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2025 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 7-speaker audio system (minor feature code IDBAL) may exhibit an intermittent no audio condition. To confirm a vehicle is built with a certain minor feature code, review the build information by clicking "Additional Information" under Vehicle ID Tab > Vehicle Information, or double-clicking the vehicle identification number (VIN) in the upper left corner on Professional Technician System (PTS). To correct this condition, reprogram the audio front control module (ACM) using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool. For claiming use causal part 18806 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D4.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54609 | Service bulletin | Feb 27, 2026 | 11029535 | 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.
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.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 18 of them name Electrical 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.
This vehicle had an open safety recall at the time the dealership sold it to me. The recall existed before the sale and the dealership knew or should have known about it. The dealer submitted loan paperwork and accepted funding but never delivered the vehicle to me. I was not informed of the open recall before signing.
2025 Ford Bronco · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 27, 2026 · ODI 11727443
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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group75 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Bronco under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2442 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement abov… |
| SSM 55240 | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2026 | Some 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles may exhibit an illuminated red brake warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C0049:01 stored in… |
| TSB 26-2380 | Service bulletin | Sep 24, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2575 to update the Parts list to add the applicable body wiring harnesses and underbody shield bolts. Some ve… |
| TCU-26.2.12.2.2 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses a bug that may cause updates to fail |
| ECG-26.2.12.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -ePrivacy enhancements |
| PCM-26.10.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 10, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| PCM-26.11.5 | Over-the-air update | Sep 4, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| SSM 55118 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2026 | Some of the following vehicles: * 2023-2025 F-Super Duty built on or before 02-Feb-2025 * 2024-2026 Ranger/Bronco/Mustang * 2024-2025 F-15… |
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 54609 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 54609 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 54609 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Bronco. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.