Ford bulletin SSM 54690
What it saysSome 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may not pass a state smog test due to the exhaust gas system (EGS) monitor… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 26, 2026, received Apr 6, 2026, about the engine. It names 7 model years (2016–2019). 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 NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may not pass a state smog test due to the exhaust gas system (EGS) monitor that will not run after completing the Exhaust Gas Sensor drive cycle located within Section 2 of the Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnostics (PC/ED) Manual > Drive Cycles. This may be due to the vehicles diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) age counter being under the 120-minute requirement. Engineering is investigating this issue and working on a solution.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54690 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2026 | 11030810 | PDF, 70 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 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 856 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 118 of them name 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.
On the 2016 Ford F-250 Super Duty, the 23 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 71,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Diesel engine fails catastrophically on highway in motion--first a blown piston at 78k miles, turbo failed within 5k miles of engine. Prior to these failures, both this truck and it's twin(bought identically together) developed leaks in the radiators...same location. The sister truck is now at a Ford dealer with a blown engine
2018 Ford Transit · Engine · filed with NHTSA Dec 28, 2020 · ODI 11385232
When driving down the freeway the dash dinged and said engine fault service now. The vehicle lost acceleration and had to coast to the shoulder while vehicles were going around him. Ford says this is a safety feature when a part goes bad so the engine doesn't get damaged. The throttle body had to be replaced.
2016 Ford Transit · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 13, 2016 · ODI 10884479
Vehicle has a hopping that occurs at speeds of 40-80 MPH, have tried several remedies, none of which work. Hopping sensation is so severe that I would be worried to put children in the back seat of the vehicle. Manufacturer is aware of the problem, has a TSB in an attempt to remedy the problem.
2016 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 29, 2018 · ODI 11123364
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 group44 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26N03 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26N03 Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles w/ 6.7L Diesel Engines Diesel Particulate Filter Replac… |
| 26E02 | Other | Aug 26, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 26E02 Certain 2016-2019 F-650 - 750 and 2017-2019 F-350 - 550 Vehicles Equipped With 6.7L Diesel… |
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Inter… |
| TSB 26-2349 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 25-2415. Reason for update: To add production build dates of the right-side engine valve cover. Some of the vehicle… |
| 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… |
| 25N14 | Other | Jun 24, 2026 | Certain 2022 Model Year F-250 - F-600 with 6.7L Diesel Engines One-Time Replacement for Diesel Particulate Filter Assembly Failures, If Re… |
| 25E09 | Emissions | Jun 24, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 25E09 Certain 2022 Model Year F-250 - F-600 Vehicles with 6.7L Engines Powertrain… |
| TSB 26-2256 | Service bulletin | Jun 19, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2572 to update the Parts List to correct the part number LC3Z-6006-L to LC3Z-6781-A, remove the flex plate bo… |
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 54690 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 54690 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 54690 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2016 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2016 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2019 Ford Transit, 2018 Ford Transit, 2017 Ford Transit and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.