Ford bulletin SSM 55071
What it saysSome 2025-2026 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature intermittently/consistently unavailable when BlueCruise is active and when traveling… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 5, 2026, received Aug 11, 2026, about the forward collision avoidance. It names 13 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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.
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 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature intermittently/consistently unavailable when BlueCruise is active and when traveling in a "Blue Zone". Speed sign recognition may also be inaccurate. If there are no active relevant diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) present and the issue persists after multiple key cycles and if the BlueCruise System Health Check passes, download and run the "TCU - Reset Telematics Control Unit (TCU) Module" application using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). If the condition is resolved, inform customers that this may be a temporary fix and engineering is currently working on a solution expected in Q4 2026. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information and schedule service appointments for customers once the repair becomes available. For claiming, use causal 14G229 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D4. If the condition persists after a test drive, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 419-03B for normal diagnosti
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55071 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | 11036107 | PDF, 75 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 7 model years
Lincoln 6 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 13 model years this bulletin names have filed 573 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 231 of them name Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance, Vehicle Speed Control — 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 November 2nd, 2025 at approximately 6pm, in Houston, Texas, my 2025 Ford F‑150 with Ford BlueCruise engaged in Hands‑Free mode was traveling with traffic at about 70 mph on a major thoroughfare. Without driver input, the system rapidly reduced speed to about 50 mph after it appeared to misinterpret an unknown speed‑limit change.
2025 Ford F-150 · Forward Collision Avoidance · filed with NHTSA Nov 3, 2025 · ODI 11697240
This vehicle has been returned to service 5 times. It is currently in service for the same 4 issues that it was taken to service for the very first time on 12/10/2025. This includes inappropriate braking on the interstate, driver window malfunction, the key intermittently stops working, and the connectivity does not regularly work.
2025 Lincoln Navigator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 2, 2026 · ODI 11715174
Pre collision pedestrian/cyclist warning automatic braking not working. Dealership tried 2x did all upgrades, checked another vehicle same results. Ford said both to technician and myself. This is normal. So pre collision does not activate in city traffic when they advertise and charge for this feature. Open to accidents and I jury
2025 Lincoln Navigator · Vehicle Speed Control · filed with NHTSA Nov 15, 2025 · ODI 11699550
In depth: 2024 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 forward collision avoidance
Source: same model, same component group16 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (forward collision avoidance), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2206 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | This article updates TSB 23-2146. Reason for update: clarify prior approval requirements Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement… |
| TSB 26-2199 | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 26-2021. Reason for update: to clarify prior approval requirements in the Service Procedure. Some of the vehicle… |
| TSB 25-2422 | Other | Mar 26, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2372 to update the vehicle symptoms. |
| ACM-25.3.3 | Over-the-air update | Feb 10, 2026 | "25SA2 Recall remedy - Audio Control Module update to address intsances where the pedestrian sounder alert sound may not be generated by the… |
| DSMC-25.15 | Over-the-air update | Feb 5, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Addresses a false Driver Facing Camera signal that may trigger an error message" |
| TSB 26-2021 | Service bulletin | Jan 31, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2156 to update the Service Procedure and Labor Time Allowance. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model state… |
| SSM 54254 | Service bulletin | Sep 29, 2025 | Some 2025 Explorer/Aviator vehicles may exhibit a condition where the instrument panel cluster (IPC) displays an unexpected Watch the Road… |
| SSM 54253 | Service bulletin | Sep 29, 2025 | Some 2025 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit a condition where the instrument panel cluster (IPC) displays an unexpected Watch the R… |
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 55071 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 55071 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 55071 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 13 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Expedition, 2025 Ford Expedition, 2026 Ford Explorer, 2026 Ford F-150, 2025 Ford F-150, 2024 Ford F-150 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.