Ford bulletin SSM 55228
What it saysSome 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 cover removed and reinstalled for various reasons. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 8, 2026, received Oct 12, 2026, about the engine. It names 30 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2020–2026). 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 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 2020-2026 Aviator/Explorer/F-150/Bronco/Ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L (non-diesel) engine may need the front engine cover removed and reinstalled for various reasons. The Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-01 Engine > Removal and Installation > Engine Front Cover service procedure has been updated to include a new essential special service tool (ESST) guide pin alignment tool (303-1790) that is used to align the engine front cover to the engine block, preventing the O-ring seal on the engine oil galley feed tube from getting damaged during installation.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55228 | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | 11038440 | 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 23 model years
Lincoln 7 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 30 model years this bulletin names have filed 7,424 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 757 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 F-150, the 63 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 59,100 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
Component Affected: Powertrain / Engine / Transmission Bellhousing Description of Defect: The vehicle is experiencing a severe mechanical defect in the drivetrain assembly, characterized by a loud metallic rattling, scraping, and "tin can" clinking noise originating directly from the transmission bellhousing area immediately upon engine…
2026 Ford F-150 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Sep 27, 2026 · ODI 11767212
In depth: 2022 Ford Bronco engine problems → · 2021 Ford Bronco engine problems → · 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 group90 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 55217 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2020-2024 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with 3.0L EcoBoost/hybrid engine may exhibit blue or black exhaust smoke on startup for th… |
| 25L05 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | Certain 2024-2025 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with 2.7L Engine Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) Label Update |
| 26L01 | Other | Aug 25, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 26L01 Certain 2018-2024 Model Year Various Vehicles 2.0L Panther Diesel Engine Timing Belt and Tensioner Inter… |
| TSB 26-2372 | Service bulletin | Aug 13, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2301. Reason for update: to update the Pinpoint Tests referenced in Step 1. Some of the vehicles listed in the M… |
| 25M01 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program 25M01 Certain 2021 Model Year F-150 3.0L Diesel Engine and 2020-2022 Model Year Super Duty with 6.7L Diesel En… |
| PT-26.11.3 | Over-the-air update | Jul 23, 2026 | 25S75 Recall remedy -Powertrain Control Module update to introduce logic to prevent low pressure fuel pump binding and maintain fuel flow to… |
| 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… |
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 55228 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 55228 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 55228 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 30 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Bronco, 2023 Ford Bronco, 2022 Ford Bronco, 2021 Ford Bronco and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.