Ford bulletin SSM 55028
What it saysSome 2021-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an "Updating SYNC" message on the vehicle center display screen after an over the air (OTA) update. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 21, 2026, received Jul 28, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 24 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2021–2024). 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.
Get the next Ford bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2021-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an "Updating SYNC" message on the vehicle center display screen after an over the air (OTA) update. The message can be cleared from the center display screen and SYNC can be used normally, but it will re-appear at every subsequent ignition cycle. Inform customers that engineering is currently working on a software update solution for this condition to be delivered OTA expected in late Q3 2026. Software will update automatically if vehicle connectivity is enabled in the vehicles settings. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55028 | Service bulletin | Jul 21, 2026 | 11035267 | 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 themFord 20 model years
Lincoln 4 model years
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new Ford bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ford files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 24 model years this bulletin names have filed 5,371 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,091 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 2021 Ford F-150, the 32 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 30,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The issue involves the purchase of a 2024 Ford Expedition Max, VIN , which purchased on from Legacy Ford in Corbin, KY. Since purchasing this vehicle, I have encountered the following persistent issues that substantially impair the use, value, or safety of the vehicle: The vehicle was sold to me seemingly infested with rodents, which ate…
2024 Ford Expedition · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 7, 2025 · ODI 11646958
2022 Lincoln Navigator L Reserve has many issues with Modules one of them that keeps goes bad is Apin which controls the screen and all other features like Massage seats Running Boards and Music and all other controls that gets disabled when it goes bad it’s a frequent problem which I has been having often changed 3 times but the problem…
2022 Lincoln Navigator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 11, 2023 · ODI 11531641
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, a MIL warning illuminated, with the message “Immediate Loss of Power” displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off and the battery was drained. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped and independently shifted to park(P).
2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 5, 2023 · ODI 11558645
In depth: 2024 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2023 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2022 Ford F-150 electrical problems → · 2021 Ford F-150 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group405 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55262 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards built on or before 13-Sep-2026 may exhibit an intermittent condit… |
| 26-2431 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason for update: update the Service procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with new Ford D… |
| SSM 55258 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent electronic static/buzzing/screeching/humming noise from the front a… |
| TSB 26-2442 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement abov… |
| SSM 55240 | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2026 | Some 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles may exhibit an illuminated red brake warning indicator with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C0049:01 stored in… |
| SSM 55221 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | For 20222026 vehicles equipped with a 8F35 transmission, a revision to the Road Testing Vehicle procedure has been made in the WSM, Section… |
| SSM 55220 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Expedition/Navigator vehicles may experience Android Auto connection or general Bluet… |
| 25E10-S1 | Emissions | Sep 30, 2026 | NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-20… |
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 55028 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 55028 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 55028 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 24 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2024 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Edge, 2023 Ford Edge and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.