Ford bulletin SSM 55239
What it saysSome 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a trailer brake control module and built on or before 08-May-2026 may exhibit a "Trailer Disconnected" message after cycling the ignition off and back on with a trailer… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 12, 2026, received Oct 13, 2026, about the service brakes. It names 16 model years (2023–2026). 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 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 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a trailer brake control module and built on or before 08-May-2026 may exhibit a "Trailer Disconnected" message after cycling the ignition off and back on with a trailer connected. This may be due to the presence of an integrated battery charger on a trailer equipped with electric over hydraulic brakes. If trailer functionality is restored after unplugging and plugging the trailer connector back in while the ignition is on, this condition can be corrected by downloading and performing the "Trailer Brake Configuration" application using the latest software version of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool. For claiming, use causal part 19H332 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D4. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 417-01 Exterior Lighting > Diagnosis and Testing > Trailer Lamps > Pinpoint Test G The Message Center Displays A False Trailer Disconnected Message When A Trailer Is Connected To The Vehicle - Only For Electric Over Hydraulic (EOH) Equipped Trailers When Vehicle Trailer Brake Type Setting Is Set To Electric Over Hydraulic has bee
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55239 | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2026 | 11038444 | 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2023 Ford F-550 SD; 2024 Ford F-550 SD; 2025 Ford F-550 SD; 2026 Ford F-550 SD.
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 12 model years this bulletin names have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 104 of them name Electrical System, Service Brakes — 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.
After the vehicle was jumpstarted the vehicle failed to correctly enter gear- when shifting into reverse it instead rolled forward downhill. The following systems also displayed failure warnings: ABS Traction Control Parking Brake ( Parking brake also showed as activated when it was not active- it would audibly disengage but the parking…
2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Jun 8, 2026 · ODI 11742732
Truck lost all electrical power while backing a trailer up. Engine died, no steering, no brakes, no power on dash, no emergence brakes, no power to door locks, no power to windows. If vehicle had been moving any faster no telling what could have been. Vehicle was towed to ford dealership and zero reasons for such a total loss of power.
2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 6, 2026 · ODI 11729384
The trailer light control module is intermittently causing trailer light faults messages and signal failures. This is associated to recall 26C10. The software update doesn’t correct the problem. Ford does not have the hardware on hand to replace the failing part. This is a safety issue for us who are on the road towing travel trailers
2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 16, 2026 · ODI 11764803
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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group12 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (service brakes), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54448 | Service bulletin | Dec 16, 2025 | Some 2017-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit a pull/drift condition during braking. This may be due to the brake pads needing to be brok… |
| SSM 54420 | Service bulletin | Dec 3, 2025 | Some 2023-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles built on or before 01-Oct-2025 may exhibit a "Hill Start Assist Unavailable" and/or "Parking Brake Limi… |
| SSM 54250 | Service bulletin | Sep 26, 2025 | Some 2024-2025 Escape Hybrid/Maverick Hybrid/Nautilus Hybrid/F-150 non-Lightning/F-Super Duty/Bronco and 2025 Expedition/Navigator/Ranger ve… |
| SSM 54160 | Service bulletin | Aug 22, 2025 | Some 2023-2025 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit a "Hill Start Assist Unavailable" and/or "Parking Brake Limited Function" message at vehicl… |
| SSM 53892 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2025 | Some 2023-2025 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit a "Hill Start Assist Unavailable" and/or "Parking Brake Limited Function" message at vehicl… |
| SSM 53239 | Service bulletin | Dec 17, 2024 | Some 2023-2025 F-Super Duty vehicles may require a replacement of the anti-lock brake system (ABS) module (2C219) during normal workshop man… |
| SSM 52590 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2024 | Some 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles may require a replacement of the anti-lock brake system (ABS) module for various reasons. Replacing the… |
| SSM 52308 | Service bulletin | Feb 29, 2024 | Some 2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 12.3 inch center display screen and 2023-2024 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit DTCs B1D08:1… |
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 55239 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 55239 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 55239 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 16 model years: 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2025 Ford F-350 Super Duty and more. 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: built on or before 8 May 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.