Ford bulletin SSM 54656
What it saysSome 2025-2026 F-150 vehicles built on 01-Oct-2025 and through 15-Dec-2025 may exhibit a "Check 4x4" message with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U2002:9E stored in the all terrain control module (ATCM). NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 13, 2026, received Mar 18, 2026, about the engine. 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.
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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 2025-2026 F-150 vehicles built on 01-Oct-2025 and through 15-Dec-2025 may exhibit a "Check 4x4" message with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U2002:9E stored in the all terrain control module (ATCM). This may be due to the 4L switch being stuck on due to excess material on the lower center instrument panel trim panel keeping the switch depressed. To correct the condition, replace the lower center instrument panel trim panel. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 412-00 > Removal and Installation > Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Control Module for reference of all hidden fasteners. For claiming, use causal part 15042C74 and labor operation MT15042C74SSM up to 1.3 hours.
Trouble codes it names: U2002
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54656 | Service bulletin | Mar 13, 2026 | 11030108 | PDF, 71 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 36 of them name Power Train, Engine — 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.
Component Affected: Powertrain / Engine / Transmission Bellhousing Description of Defect: The vehicle is experiencing a severe mechanical defect in the drivetrain assembly, characterized by a loud metallic rattling, scraping, and "tin can" clinking noise originating directly from the transmission bellhousing area immediately upon engine…
2026 Ford F-150 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Sep 27, 2026
Vehicle demonstrates an intermittent lag during acceleration, particularly during throttle position changes. Typical throttle response is appx 0.5s as measured by stopwatch. When the issue is replicated the delay can exceed 1 second.
2025 Ford F-150 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Aug 28, 2026
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group59 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford F-150 under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25L05 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | Certain 2024-2025 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with 2.7L Engine Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) Label Update |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| TSB 26-2233 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 26-2116 to clarify the prior approval statement. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may ex… |
| SSM 54795 | Service bulletin | May 4, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine may… |
| TSB 26-2116 | Service bulletin | Apr 9, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2323 to update the Service procedure, Parts list, and add a clarification note about Cost Cap and Prior appro… |
| 24N12 S2 | Other | Mar 31, 2026 | Certain 2021 - 2022 Model Year Various Vehicles Engine Valve Inspection Test This submission includes : Technical Instructions Updated word… |
| SSM 54678 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L/5.2L engine, 2021-2025 F-Super Duty/F-53 Motorhome/F59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicl… |
| SSM 54392 | Service bulletin | Nov 20, 2025 | Some 2021-2025 F-150/Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0299 stor… |
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 54656 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 54656 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 54656 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Ford F-150, 2025 Ford F-150. 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 F-150: built 1 Oct 2025 – 15 Dec 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.