Ford bulletin SSM 54769
What it saysBronco Sport and Maverick vehicles utilize an advanced headlamp design that features a sharp horizontal light-to-dark transition. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 23, 2026, received Apr 28, 2026, about the exterior lighting. It names 11 model years (2021–2026). 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 communicationBronco Sport and Maverick vehicles utilize an advanced headlamp design that features a sharp horizontal light-to-dark transition. This is an intentional optical characteristic designed to meet safety and performance standards. This transition is a normal attribute of the vehicles lighting signature and is most visible during high-beam operation. No repair is required as the system is functioning to specification. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 417-01 Exterior Lighting > Description and Operation > Exterior Lighting - Overview has been revised to clarify this condition as an operating characteristic of the vehicle.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54769 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2026 | 11031628 | PDF, 68 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 11 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,624 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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 exterior lighting
Source: same model, same component group4 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (exterior lighting), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54808 | Service bulletin | May 6, 2026 | The instrument panel cluster (IPC) in 2023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Maverick hybrid vehicles has a power gauge section on the left side of… |
| TSB 24-2183 | Service bulletin | Jun 6, 2024 | Some 2024 Maverick vehicles equipped with low series headlamps and built on 14-Nov-2023 and through 31-Jan-2024 may exhibit one or both head… |
| SSM 52516 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2024 | Some 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles may exhibit a condition where the rear lamp assemblies do not fit tightly or have a large gap to the body.… |
| TSB 23-2267 | Service bulletin | Aug 23, 2023 | Some 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles built on or before 01-Nov-2022 equipped with light emitting diode (LED) control module… |
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 54769 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 54769 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 54769 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 11 model years: 2026 Ford Bronco Sport, 2025 Ford Bronco Sport, 2024 Ford Bronco Sport, 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Ford Bronco Sport and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.