Ford bulletin SSM 55079
What it saysSome 2025-2026 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 7 speaker audio system (minor feature code IDBAL) may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) B128A:01, B128A:11, B128A:12, B128A:13, B1288:11, B1288:12 and/or B1238:17… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 13, 2026, received Aug 20, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 2 model years (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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2025-2026 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 7 speaker audio system (minor feature code IDBAL) may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) B128A:01, B128A:11, B128A:12, B128A:13, B1288:11, B1288:12 and/or B1238:17 stored in the audio front control module (ACM) with no customer facing symptoms related to those DTCs. Clear the DTCs and if the DTCs return with no customer facing symptoms, this condition may be due to the ACM software. Replacement of the ACM and/or speakers will not resolve this condition. Inform customers that they can continue to drive the vehicle and engineering is currently working on a solution for this condition that is expected in Q4 2026. Continue to monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information and schedule service appointments for customers once the repair becomes available. If a vehicle exhibits this condition, enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) and click the "Submit Global Concern Report (GCR)" link at the upper right of the PTS "Vehicle ID" screen. Fill out the GCR form, referencing this article number in the report.
Trouble codes it names: B1238 B1288 B128A
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55079 | Service bulletin | Aug 13, 2026 | 11036285 | 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 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 20 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.
This vehicle had an open safety recall at the time the dealership sold it to me. The recall existed before the sale and the dealership knew or should have known about it. The dealer submitted loan paperwork and accepted funding but never delivered the vehicle to me. I was not informed of the open recall before signing.
2025 Ford Bronco · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 27, 2026 · ODI 11727443
The 2026 Ford Bronco Outer Banks instrument cluster has gone blank on two occasions (4/3/26 and 4/23/29). The first time the service department at Joe Mahan Ford, Paris, TN reported the display returned when connected to thier computer, but kept the Bronco for several days trying to replicate the condition.
2026 Ford Bronco · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 30, 2026 · ODI 11734948
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 group75 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Bronco 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| TSB 26-2380 | Service bulletin | Sep 24, 2026 | This article supersedes TSB 25-2575 to update the Parts list to add the applicable body wiring harnesses and underbody shield bolts. Some ve… |
| TCU-26.2.12.2.2 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses a bug that may cause updates to fail |
| ECG-26.2.12.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -ePrivacy enhancements |
| PCM-26.10.3 | Over-the-air update | Sep 10, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| PCM-26.11.5 | Over-the-air update | Sep 4, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| SSM 55118 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2026 | Some of the following vehicles: * 2023-2025 F-Super Duty built on or before 02-Feb-2025 * 2024-2026 Ranger/Bronco/Mustang * 2024-2025 F-15… |
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 55079 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 55079 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 55079 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford Bronco. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.