Ford bulletin SSM 55142
What it saysSome 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" warning message displayed in the IPC and an illuminated MIL with DTCs… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 1, 2026, received Sep 4, 2026, about the engine. It names 3 model years (2023–2025). 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 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 2023-2025 Escape vehicles built on or before 16-Sep-2024 equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit an "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" warning message displayed in the IPC and an illuminated MIL with DTCs P1285 and/or P1299 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM) during hard acceleration or under high load conditions. This may be due to machining chips trapped in the cylinder head causing a potential blockage in the coolant passage near the cylinder head temperature 2 (CHT2) port. To diagnose this condition, start the vehicle and idle for 15 minutes. Perform a road test at a temperature above -20°C (-4°F) and apply wide-open throttle (WOT) hard accelerations in rapid succession. If the concern cannot be replicated, drain and refill the coolant system. If the concern can be replicated, drain the coolant system. Perform the Engine Cooling System Flushing procedure in Workshop Manual (WSM) > 303-03A Engine Cooling - 1.5L EcoBoost > General Procedures. Do not use the VC1 flush additive. Reassemble the engine. Fill and bleed the coolant system and re-evaluate the concern. If the concern pers
Trouble codes it names: P1285 P1299
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55142 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2026 | 11037059 | 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.
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 259 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 197 of them name Electrical System, Engine, 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.
On the 2023 Ford Escape, the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 15,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The digits no longer display on the speedometer gauge of the electronic dashboard. Digits on the high voltage battery discharge and charging gauge also do not display. Given those failures, I have concerns about warning lights that may not be working. The lack of proper speed indication increases the possibility of a collision.
2025 Ford Escape · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 2, 2026 · ODI 11754326
a 2023 Ford Escape. while driving at approximately 76 MPH, I observed a warning chime dinging, the power train warning light illuminated, and the low engine coolant message was displayed. I received a notification via the Ford Pass APP stating that "There was a failure with the vehicle and to see the dealer'.
2023 Ford Escape · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 7, 2024 · ODI 11599860
After incomplete over-the-air (OTA) update instrument panel cluster (IPC) fails to illuminate and only chimes when powered. Vehicle drives normally, but no speed, fuel, warning telltales shown to the driver. Safety issue as the driver is not informed of this critical vehicle information
2023 Ford Escape · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 31, 2026 · ODI 11760838
In depth: 2023 Ford Escape 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 engine
Source: same model, same component group31 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Escape under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55211 | Over-the-air update | Oct 2, 2026 | 2023-2026 Escape and 2025-2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may require removal of the turbocharger wastegate… |
| 25M03 | Other | Aug 18, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M03 Certain 2020-2025 Model Year Escape, 2021-2025 Model Year Corsair and 2022- 2025 Model Year Maverick Veh… |
| 25B33 | Other | Jun 1, 2026 | Certain 2023-2025 Model Year Escape and Corsair, 2024-2025 Model Year Nautilus, 2025-2026 Model Year Bronco Sport and 2025 Model Year Maver… |
| 25B51 | Other | May 9, 2026 | Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco, 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport, 2020-2022 Model Year Corsair and Escape, 2016-2024 Model Year Explor… |
| SSM 54631 | Service bulletin | Mar 6, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Escape and 2022-2026 Maverick 2.5L Duratec hybrid vehicles may require various repairs on the exhaust system. This may requir… |
| SSM 54540 | Service bulletin | Jan 31, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Escape/Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may require replacement of the engine thermostat due to var… |
| 25M02 | Other | Dec 12, 2025 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M02 Certain 2021-2024 Model Year Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape with 1.5L Engine and 8F35 Transmission U… |
| 25N03 | Other | Oct 15, 2025 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25N03 Certain 2021-2023 Model Year Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape with 1.5L Engine and 8F35 Transmission.… |
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 55142 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 55142 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 55142 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2025 Ford Escape, 2024 Ford Escape, 2023 Ford Escape. 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: 2023-2025 Escape: built on or before 16 Sep 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.