Ford bulletin SSM 54948
What it saysSome 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility non-hybrid vehicles built on 06-Feb-2025 and through 13-Dec-2025 may exhibit various drivability symptoms including a rough idle or hesitation shortly after… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 18, 2026, received Jun 24, 2026, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 4 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 communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility non-hybrid vehicles built on 06-Feb-2025 and through 13-Dec-2025 may exhibit various drivability symptoms including a rough idle or hesitation shortly after refueling. These symptoms may also be accompanied by liquid fuel in the fuel vapor lines and fuel vapor canister as well as an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P0133, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, and/or P0306 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). This condition may be due to an intermittently sticking fuel level vent valve on the fuel tank allowing fuel to enter the evaporative emissions system lines and evaporative emissions canister during refueling. If the customer states that the drivability symptoms occurred after recently filling the vehicle, replace the fuel tank (9002) and evaporative emissions canister (9D653). Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 310-01 to replace the fuel tank. Refer to WSM, Section 303-13 to replace the evaporative emission canister. For claiming use causal part 9002 and labor operations 90
Trouble codes it names: P0133 P0300 P0301 P0302 P0303 P0304 P0305 P0306
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54948 | Service bulletin | Jun 18, 2026 | 11034036 | 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.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themFord 2 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 15 of them name Power Train — 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 purchased a brand new 2025 Lincoln Aviator on 9/27/25, with 33 miles on it. I do not even make it home from the dealer before it started making a scrubbing/grinding noise, which subsequently led to the replacement of the transfer case and transmission on a vehicle with approx 180 miles on it.
2025 Lincoln Aviator · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Dec 30, 2025
After the Ford recall software update, the gear shifter will turn itself out of park and either into drive or reverse. The software update was in regards to the PCM resetting itself. We took it to the Ford dealer and because they can not duplicate the problem, the truck was returned to us.
2025 Ford Explorer · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jun 18, 2025
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 group13 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| SSM 54857 | Service bulletin | May 21, 2026 | 2020-2026 Explorer/Escape/Corsair, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport/Bronco, 2022-2026 Maverick, 2024-2026 Mustang/Ranger/Nautilus vehicles equipped wi… |
| SSM 54810 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus non-hybrid and 2025-2026 Aviator vehicles equipped with 28 radio speakers (minor feature code IDBBN) and 2025-2026 N… |
| SSM 54787 | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2026 | Some 2020-2023 Aviator and 2025-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit a "Refuel Error See Manual" message in… |
| 23B64 | Other | Apr 8, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 23B64 Certain 2020-2024 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Equipped with High Voltage Batteries Battery Energ… |
| 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… |
| SSM 54614 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2026 | Some 2020-2024 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine and 2020-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility/Aviator vehicles equipped wit… |
| SSM 54425 | Service bulletin | Dec 4, 2025 | Some 2020-2026 Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit multiple warning messages, various drivability concerns and/or an illu… |
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 54948 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 54948 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 54948 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Explorer, 2025 Ford Explorer, 2026 Lincoln Aviator, 2025 Lincoln Aviator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: built 6 Feb 2025 – 13 Dec 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.