Ford bulletin SSM 54874
What it saysSome 2024-2026 F-150 vehicles may exhibit an incorrect fuel gauge indication when distance to empty (DTE) is below 50 miles. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 27, 2026, received Jun 3, 2026, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 3 model years (2024–2026). 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 communicationSome 2024-2026 F-150 vehicles may exhibit an incorrect fuel gauge indication when distance to empty (DTE) is below 50 miles. Workshop Manual (WSM), Sections 413-01 > Description and Operation > Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) - System Operation and Component Description along with 413-01 > Diagnosis and Testing > Pinpoint Test D have been updated for this concern.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54874 | Service bulletin | May 27, 2026 | 11033252 | PDF, 64 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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 365 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 50 of them name Exterior Lighting — 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.
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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group15 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford F-150 under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55111 | Service bulletin | Aug 21, 2026 | Some 2022-2026 F-150 Lightning vehicles may exhibit a reduced distance to empty (DTE) projection, a high voltage battery pack state of charg… |
| SSM55059 | Service bulletin | Aug 3, 2026 | Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine, 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine, and 20… |
| PT-26.11.7 | Over-the-air update | Jul 24, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| SSM 54838 | Service bulletin | May 18, 2026 | Some 2024 F-150 vehicles may exhibit a condition where the volume is limited to 14 with a "MyKey volume limited" message in the center displ… |
| 25M04 | Other | Mar 31, 2026 | Certain 2021-2023 Model Year F-150 HEV Vehicles Replacement of Exhaust Gas Heat Exchanger Coolant Spigot, If Required Owner Letters |
| TSB 26-2112 | Service bulletin | Mar 18, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes TSB 26-2059. Reason For Update: To add missing labor operations. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement… |
| TSB 26-2093 | Service bulletin | Mar 10, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2487 to update the symptoms in the TSB title and issue, and update the parts list to include additional parts… |
| SSM 54317 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2025 | Some 2021-2025 F-150, 2022-2025 Expedition/Navigator, 2023-2025 F-Super Duty, 2024-2025 Ranger and 2026 Transit vehicles may exhibit a disch… |
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 54874 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 54874 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 54874 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2026 Ford F-150, 2025 Ford F-150, 2024 Ford F-150. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.