Ford bulletin SSM 54682
What it saysSome 2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine and built on 22-Dec-2025 and through 02-Feb-2026 may exhibit an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning lamp or "Check Brake System" warning message… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 24, 2026, received Apr 6, 2026, about the service brakes. It names 1 model year (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 2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine and built on 22-Dec-2025 and through 02-Feb-2026 may exhibit an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning lamp or "Check Brake System" warning message with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C0049:01 and/or C0049:0A stored in the ABS module. This may be due to a pin fit concern at connector C124 located on the brake fluid reservoir.
Trouble codes it names: C0049
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54682 | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | 11030799 | PDF, 73 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.
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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
On XXX around 6:30pm: Car would not go into reverse. Upon pressing the gas a 2nd time, a loud pop was heard from the back of the car. The car was then able to drive forward, however, when pressing on the brakes, the rear end of the car would wobble, and the brakes were rubbing and making a loud noise.
2026 Ford Explorer · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Sep 5, 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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABS-25.AR | Over-the-air update | Oct 13, 2025 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses a false positive Diagnostic Trouble Code due to high sensitivity that may cause a hard brake pedal… |
| SSM 51261 | Service bulletin | Dec 16, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
| SSM 51120 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2022 | Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the… |
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 54682 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 54682 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 54682 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2026 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: 2026 Explorer: built 22 Dec 2025 – 2 Feb 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.