Ford bulletin SSM 54800
What it saysSome 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator and 2026 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent inoperative remote start feature using either the key fobs or the Ford/Lincoln App. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 5, 2026, received May 14, 2026, about the structure. It names 6 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 Explorer/Aviator and 2026 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent inoperative remote start feature using either the key fobs or the Ford/Lincoln App. This may be due to the software in the body control module (BCM). After replicating the concern, use the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) to monitor the RMTSTRT_F_ARB_LST and RMTSTRT_F_TRGT_NM parameter identification (PIDS) in the BCM. If both PID values show "true" in any of the last 5 saved values, engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected in Q4 2026. Schedule service appointments for customers once the repair becomes available. If either of the BCM PID values do not show "true" in any of the saved values, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-14 Handles, Locks, Latches, Entry Systems > Diagnosis and Testing > Locks, Latches and Entry Systems > Pinpoint Test R (Explorer/Aviator)/Pinpoint Test V (Expedition/Navigator) for normal diagnostics and repair as necessary outside of this article. For claiming, use causal part 15604 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D45
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54800 | Service bulletin | May 5, 2026 | 11032685 | PDF, 72 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.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 3 model years
Lincoln 3 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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 170 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 37 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.
I had my car in drive in a parking spot. I was ready to go, put the car in drive, DID NOT MOVE but needed to put it in park fast to assist to a child in the back seat. I put it in park pretty fast. Took my seatbelt off and assisted child. It must have not engaged. Car rolled into my office metal mailbox. I 100% put it in park.
2026 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 25, 2026
Gateway module does not work. I've had my 2025 vehicle since 11/21/2024 (over 7 months) and it has never worked. I have not had a safety update since 05/2024 when it was at the factory. There has been many OTA updates and updates that need to be preformed at dealership and have not had any completed.
2025 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 4, 2025
Multiple loss of power, misfires, rough running and abnormal shifting. These events have put my family and I at risk as well as posing a significant risk to other drivers sharing the road due to the sudden loss of power while on the highway. Lincoln is dismissive and not taking this seriously.
2025 Lincoln Aviator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 15, 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 structure
Source: same model, same component group39 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55168 | Service bulletin | Sep 14, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards may exhibit an intermittent condition where the power running boa… |
| RGTM-26.AF | Over-the-air update | Aug 27, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Rear Gate latch calibration update to permit unlatching via the release button when the system has lost posit… |
| 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 55107 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards may exhibit an intermittent condition where the power running boa… |
| SSM 55060 | Service bulletin | Aug 4, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Explorer vehicles built on or before 27-Feb-2026 and equipped with the panoramic glass roof may exhibit an uneven gap at the… |
| SSM 54938 | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | Some 2025/2026 Aviator vehicles may exhibit a "Door Fault Service Required", "Transmission Not In Park" and/or "Hill Start Assist Not Availa… |
| SSM 54910 | Service bulletin | Jun 9, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with one-touch up/down front windows may exhibit a condition where a front window does… |
| 26B11 | Other | Jun 5, 2026 | Certain 2025 Model Year Expedition and Navigator Vehicles Front and Rear Door Paint Correction and Upper Moulding Isolator Installation |
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 54800 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 54800 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 54800 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Expedition, 2026 Ford Explorer, 2025 Ford Explorer, 2026 Lincoln Aviator, 2025 Lincoln Aviator, 2026 Lincoln Navigator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.