Ford bulletin TSB 25-2213
What it saysThis article supersedes TSB 25-2121 to update the affected production build dates. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 21, 2025, received May 28, 2025, about the steering. It names 6 model years (2020–2025). 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.
This article supersedes TSB 25-2121 to update the affected production build dates. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a click/pop noise while turning the steering wheel from straight ahead to full lock during low speed turning events. This noise may be due to front upper strut mount washer movement under steering loads.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 25-2213 | Service bulletin | May 21, 2025 | 11018597 | PDF, 173 KB |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| W719506-S440 | Front Stabilizer Bar Link Upper Nut | — | eBay Motors → |
| W714660-S439 | Brake Caliper Anchor Plate Bolts | — | eBay Motors → |
| W520517-S440 | Lower Strut-To-Wheel Knuckle Nuts | — | eBay Motors → |
| W721102-S439 | — | — | |
| W520115-S440 | Strut Rod Nut | — | eBay Motors → |
| LB5Z-3A197-A | ZC-37-A As Needed As Needed Motorcraft® Wheel and Tire Cleaner | — | eBay Motors → |
| W715932-S439 | Lower Strut-To-Wheel Knuckle Bolts Standard bolt (no eccentric cam) | — | eBay Motors → |
| W715295-S439 | Lower Strut-To-Wheel Knuckle-Camber Bolts Bolt with eccentric cam | — | eBay Motors → |
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 252213A | 2020-2025 Explorer: Visually Inspect And Replace One (1) Front Upper Strut Mount… | 1.5 hrs |
| 252213B | 2020-2025 Explorer: Visually Inspect And Replace Both (2) Front Upper Strut Mounts… | 2.1 hrs |
| 252213C | 2020-2025 Explorer: Additional Time To Check And Adjust Front Camber, Caster And Toe… | 1.4 hrs |
| 252213D | 2020-2025 Explorer With Lane Departure: Additional Time To Check And Adjust Front… | 1.6 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (2 pages), read Sep 29, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Ford’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,218 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 15 of them name Steering — 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 15 owners who gave an odometer reading for Steering reported it at a median of 17,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I was making a slow speed u-turn to stop a speeding motorist. As I came out of the u-turn, the wheel did not come back to center and I continued the turn going up a curb and striking a chain link fence. When I realized what was occurring, I manually began to turn the steering wheel to the right to get back on the roadway.
2021 Ford Explorer · Steering · filed with NHTSA Mar 24, 2023 · ODI 11513540
Twice the car has blown the main 80 amp fuse for the electric power steering after one of the front wheels hit something that caused the wheel to jerk slightly. I did not think either of these bumps should have caused the power steering to go out. one of them occurred at very low speed maybe two or three miles per hour.
2023 Ford Explorer · Steering · filed with NHTSA Sep 29, 2026 · ODI 11767893
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 steering
Source: same model, same component group6 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (steering), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55172 | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | Some 2025 Aviator/Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit a "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" message and diagnostic… |
| TSB 26-2302 | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2150. Reason for update: To remove the M6 nut from the part list and remove the Steps to install the M6 nut from… |
| TSB 26-2035 | Service bulletin | Feb 5, 2026 | This TSB supersedes TSB 25-2350 to update the Service Procedure, vehicles affected, and parts list. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model… |
| TSB 25-2580 | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2025 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit steering column shrouds that are misaligned or pushed out. This may be… |
| SSM 54399 | Service bulletin | Nov 25, 2025 | Some 2025 Aviator/Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C1110:56 and/or U3000:96 stored in… |
| TSB 25-2350 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2025 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * "Steering Assist Fault Service Requi… |
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 TSB 25-2213 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 TSB 25-2213 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 TSB 25-2213 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2025 Ford Explorer, 2024 Ford Explorer, 2023 Ford Explorer, 2022 Ford Explorer, 2021 Ford Explorer, 2020 Ford Explorer. 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: 2020-2025 Explorer: built on or before 28 Jan 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.