Ford bulletin SSM 54808
What it saysThe instrument panel cluster (IPC) in 2023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Maverick hybrid vehicles has a power gauge section on the left side of the display. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 6, 2026, received May 14, 2026, about the exterior lighting. It names 6 model years (2023–2026). 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 communicationThe instrument panel cluster (IPC) in 2023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Maverick hybrid vehicles has a power gauge section on the left side of the display. This power gauge section has a white or gray engine icon that is specifically used to indicate when the vehicle is operating in a specific hybrid mode. The white or gray engine icons are a normal function of the vehicles hybrid display and do not indicate that there is a malfunction and no service actions are necessary to address it. The Owners Manual and Workshop Manual, Section 413-01 > Description and Operation are expected to be updated by the end of Q2 2026.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54808 | Service bulletin | May 6, 2026 | 11032689 | 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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 329 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 128 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.
On the 2023 Ford Escape, the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 15,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
If the vehicle sits for more than 36 hours, it enters a deep sleep mode and develops an unresolved battery drain issue, rendering it inoperable. This vehicle has been in the shop four times with three battery replacements having less than $30,000 MI if a person or to drive this out of town or park at a rest stop, it could lead them…
2025 Ford Maverick · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 8, 2026 · ODI 11769796
The digits no longer display on the speedometer gauge of the electronic dashboard. Digits on the high voltage battery discharge and charging gauge also do not display. Given those failures, I have concerns about warning lights that may not be working. The lack of proper speed indication increases the possibility of a collision.
2025 Ford Escape · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 2, 2026 · ODI 11754326
The contact owns a 2026 Ford Maverick. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred because of the manufacturer's capability to access the computer system without the owner’s knowledge.
2026 Ford Maverick · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 9, 2026 · ODI 11763101
In depth: 2023 Ford Escape electrical problems →
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 group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (exterior lighting), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54769 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2026 | Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles utilize an advanced headlamp design that features a sharp horizontal light-to-dark transition. This is an… |
| 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.… |
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 54808 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 54808 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 54808 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2026 Ford Escape, 2025 Ford Escape, 2024 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Escape, 2026 Ford Maverick, 2025 Ford Maverick. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.