Ford bulletin SSM 55217
What it saysSome 2020-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with 3.0L EcoBoost/hybrid engine may exhibit blue or black exhaust smoke on startup for the first 5 minutes after an overnight cold soak with no illuminated malfunction… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 6, 2026, about the engine. It names 10 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2024). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Some 2020-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with 3.0L EcoBoost/hybrid engine may exhibit blue or black exhaust smoke on startup for the first 5 minutes after an overnight cold soak with no illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) or powertrain diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) present. This may be due to engine oil breaching the dynamic oil seals separating the bearing core from the turbine housing in the left side turbocharger assembly. There is a new, updated left side turbocharger oil supply tube equipped with an internal check valve to prevent the engine oil from entering turbine housing after the engine is off. Replace the existing left side turbocharger oil supply tube with the updated service part that includes the check valve (service part# L1MZ-9T516-B) or latest level part. Refer to the Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-04 Fuel Charging and Controls - Turbocharger > Removal and Installation > Turbocharger Oil Supply Tube LH. For claiming, use causal part 9T516 and labor operation code 9440AL.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55217 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | 11038165 | PDF, 71 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 5 model years
Lincoln 5 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 10 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,373 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 259 of them name Engine — 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 2020 Ford Explorer, the 52 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine 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.
Catalytic converter and it was confirmed by independent service center my car only has 88k miles There is a catalytic converter recall on year 2020 but Ford refuses to do a recall for the year 2021 and I have another car that have the same catalytic converter problem with only 84k miles and it’s also 2021 and Ford refuses to do any work…
2021 Ford Explorer · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 31, 2026 · ODI 11754102
Purchased a 2020 Explorer on feb 11, noticed smoke from the hood right when I arrived home from the dealer, contacted them and they said it might be normal for a new vehicle to have some smoke in the beginning, later I noticed that the interior heat is only blowing cold air so I was about to take it to the nearest dealer to check it out…
2020 Ford Explorer · Engine · filed with NHTSA Feb 14, 2020 · ODI 11309159
The contact owns a 2024 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a detached adaptive valve.
2024 Lincoln Aviator · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 10, 2026 · ODI 11755880
In depth: 2021 Ford Explorer engine problems → · 2020 Ford Explorer engine 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 these Ford models 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 55228 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Some 2020-2026 Aviator/Explorer/F-150/Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L (non-diesel) engine may need the front engine cove… |
| TSB 26-2269 | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble… |
| TSB 26-2210 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * Engine misfire condition * Illuminat… |
| 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 54774 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator (MIL) lamp with engine… |
| SSM 54756 | Service bulletin | Apr 20, 2026 | 2021-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with the 2.3L EcoBoost engine may require air conditioning (A/C) compressor belt removal for various re… |
| 24N12 S2 | Other | Mar 31, 2026 | Certain 2021 - 2022 Model Year Various Vehicles Engine Valve Inspection Test This submission includes : Technical Instructions Updated word… |
| SSM 54275 | Service bulletin | Oct 7, 2025 | Some 2021-2023 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost engine, 2021-2023 Aviator vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost or 3.0L plug… |
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 55217 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 55217 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 55217 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 10 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2024 Ford Explorer, 2023 Ford Explorer, 2022 Ford Explorer, 2021 Ford Explorer, 2020 Ford Explorer, 2024 Lincoln Aviator and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.