Ford bulletin SSM 54685
What it saysSome 2025 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 12-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) may exhibit a condition where the IPC backlight and shift indicator remains illuminated after the vehicle is turned off. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 24, 2026, received Apr 6, 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 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 12-inch instrument panel cluster (IPC) may exhibit a condition where the IPC backlight and shift indicator remains illuminated after the vehicle is turned off. This may be due to the software in the IPC. To correct the condition, using the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool, download and run the "IPC-Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Software Update" application.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54685 | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | 11030805 | 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 45 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 11 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.
My Ford Ranger is on a safety recall. They sold it to us on May 9,2025 then kept the truck. June 1 they told use the recall issue was solved. We were not given documents on this. We are now seeing the parts needed are not available until the end of June. A Fedaral and State law was broken in selling us a vehicle on a safety recall.
2025 Ford Ranger · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 4, 2026 · ODI 11742182
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 group52 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Ranger 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… |
| SYNC-26.2.8.5 | Over-the-air update | Sep 18, 2026 | 26C37 Recall remedy Prevents a potential rearview camera image obstruction caused by a menu displaying on top of it |
| 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 |
| BCM-26.7.1 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | 26S29 Recall remedy: -Updates the Body Control Module to remove sun visor light operation in case of a short |
| 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… |
| SSM 55070 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Some 2024-2025 Ranger vehicles equipped with a cargo box power point plug may exhibit a condition where all interior/exterior power outlets/… |
| SSM 55044 | Service bulletin | Jul 27, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Bronco/Ranger vehicles may exhibit an illuminated powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator with diagnostic trouble codes… |
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 54685 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 54685 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 54685 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Ranger. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.