Ford bulletin SSM 54733
What it saysSome 2025-2026 Bronco/Expedition/Navigator/F-150/Ranger vehicles may exhibit a "Check Brake System" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) and/or an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) indicator… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 9, 2026, received Apr 14, 2026, about the service brakes. It names 10 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Ford · Lincoln.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2025-2026 Bronco/Expedition/Navigator/F-150/Ranger vehicles may exhibit a "Check Brake System" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) and/or an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C0563 stored in the ABS module. This may be due to air still trapped in the system after prior bleeding attempts and/or brake service mode being enabled. The applicable pinpoint test (PPT) in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 206-09 has been updated to improve diagnostics for this concern. Make sure the latest software version of Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) is being used when performing the brake system pressure bleeding routine.
Trouble codes it names: C0563
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54733 | Service bulletin | Apr 9, 2026 | 11031298 | PDF, 69 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 themFord 8 model years
Lincoln 2 model years
A 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 10 model years this bulletin names have filed 306 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 55 of them name Service Brakes — 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.
Was operating the vehicle around a slight bend at about 45mph. The brakes and steering then stopped working and was non responsive. The vehicle was sliding off the road toward a parked dump truck. After about 2 or 3 seconds the steering and brakes started working again and I regained control of the vehicle.
2025 Lincoln Navigator · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Jun 8, 2026
I began to brake because there was a parked car at the stop sign i was approaching. My vehicle was not stopping even though the brake pedal was pressed all the way down to the floor. 2025 Ford Expedition crashed into a parked car is a malfunctioning Electronic Brake Booster (EBB) module.
2025 Ford Expedition · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Mar 11, 2026
Sunday April 19 2026, in a drive thru while stopped, the following alerts popped up with their corresponding dash lights: Check Brake System Park Brake limited service function Pre-collision assist not available Service Advance Track Brake pedal lost vacuum / pressure and became hard.
2025 Ford Bronco · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Apr 21, 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 group29 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (service brakes), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54993 | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 F-150 Raptor vehicles may exhibit increased sensitivity or braking force when applying the brake pedal at slower speeds. To r… |
| SSM 54940 | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | Some 2021-2026 F-150 vehicles may exhibit a U2100:00 diagnostic trouble code (DTC) for initial configuration incomplete stored in the traile… |
| SSM 54848 | Service bulletin | May 20, 2026 | Some 2025 Bronco Raptor vehicles may exhibit a concern where certain selectable drive modes (G.O.A.T. modes) are unavailable after the ABS m… |
| SSM 54847 | Service bulletin | May 20, 2026 | Some 2025 Bronco non-Raptor vehicles may exhibit a concern where certain selectable drive modes (G.O.A.T. modes) are unavailable after the A… |
| ABS-25.8.3 | Over-the-air update | Feb 13, 2026 | "25S77 Recall remedy: -Addresses a potential loss of brake boost while driving. Hydraulic braking assist will still be available" |
| ABS-25.B11 | Over-the-air update | Jan 27, 2026 | "25S77 Recall remedy: -Addresses a potential loss of brake boost while driving. Hydraulic braking will still be available" |
| ABS-25.B11 | Over-the-air update | Jan 27, 2026 | 26-OTA ABS-25. B11 Expedition |
| SSM 54431 | Service bulletin | Dec 6, 2025 | Some 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles may exhibit an illuminated red brake warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C0049:01 stored in… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ford and Lincoln, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford SSM 54733 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 54733 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 54733 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 10 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford Bronco, 2026 Ford Expedition, 2025 Ford Expedition, 2026 Ford F-150, 2025 Ford F-150 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.