Ford bulletin TSB 26-2185
What it saysReason for update: add 2026 model year vehicles and Transit, update the causal part number (15604), update the Service Procedure, update the service labor operations for 2023 F-Super Duty, and add service labor… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 7, 2026, received May 14, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 39 model years across Ford and Lincoln (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.
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 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 bulletin supersedes 25-2621. Reason for update: add 2026 model year vehicles and Transit, update the causal part number (15604), update the Service Procedure, update the service labor operations for 2023 F-Super Duty, and add service labor operations for Transit. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a no crank/no start condition where the customer cannot start their vehicle. The vehicle may also exhibit a "No Key Detected" message displayed on the instrument panel cluster (IPC), and no key fob works in the back up slot. The remote keyless entry (RKE) functionality will work to lock/unlock the vehicle.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2185 | Service bulletin | May 7, 2026 | 11032693 | PDF, 144 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 262185A | — | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185B | 2025-2026 F-150/F-Super Duty: Run BCM Hardware Test - Fail, Replace BCM | 1 hrs |
| 262185C | 2025-2026 Nautilus: Run BCM Hardware Test - Pass - Repair No Key Detected Outside Of… | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185D | 2025-2026 Nautilus: Run BCM Hardware Test - Fail, Replace BCM | 1 hrs |
| 262185E | 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator: Run BCM Hardware Test - Pass - Repair No Key… | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185F | 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator: Run BCM Hardware Test - Fail, Replace BCM | 1.1 hrs |
| 262185G | 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator: Run BCM Hardware Test - Pass - Repair No Key Detected… | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185H | 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator: Run BCM Hardware Test - Fail, Replace BCM | 1.2 hrs |
| 262185J | 2026 Transit: Run BCM Hardware Test - Pass - Repair No Key Detected Outside Of This… | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185K | 2026 Transit: Run BCM Hardware Test - Fail, Replace BCM | 2 hrs |
| 262185L | 2023-2024 F-Super Duty, 2024-2025 F-150: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Pass | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185M | 2023-2025 F-Super Duty, 2024-2025 F-150: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Fail, Replace BCM | 1 hrs |
| 262185N | 2024-2025 Nautilus: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Pass | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185P | 2024-2025 Nautilus: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Fail, Replace BCM | 1 hrs |
| 262185Q | 2024-2026 Ranger: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Pass | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185R | 2024-2026 Ranger: Reprogram Both key Fobs - Fail, Replace BCM | 1 hrs |
| 262185S | 2024-2026 Bronco: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Pass | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185T | 2024-2026 Bronco: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Fail, Replace BCM | 0.8 hrs |
| 262185U | 2024-2026 Mustang: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Pass | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185V | 2024-2026 Mustang: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Fail, Replace BCM | 1.1 hrs |
| 262185W | 2025 Explorer/Aviator: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Pass | 0.3 hrs |
| 262185X | 2025 Explorer/Aviator: Reprogram Both Key Fobs - Fail, Replace BCM | 1.1 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 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 themFord 32 model years
Also 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.
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 35 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,352 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 360 of them name Electrical System — 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.
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V802000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue.
2024 Ford Mustang · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 21, 2025 · ODI 11637439
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
In depth: 2024 Ford F-150 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group499 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55262 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | Some 2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with power running boards built on or before 13-Sep-2026 may exhibit an intermittent condit… |
| 26-2431 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason for update: update the Service procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with new Ford D… |
| TSB 26-2439 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and radio system… |
| SSM 55258 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent electronic static/buzzing/screeching/humming noise from the front a… |
| SSM 55256 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2027 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power folding mirrors may exhibit concerns with the auto foldi… |
| SSM 55247 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus vehicles may experience an "Advance Front Lighting Features Temporarily Unavailable" message with diagnostic trouble… |
| SSM 55255 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 360-degree camera may exhibit a distorted or corrupted 360-degree camera image in the c… |
| TSB 26-2442 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2297. Reason for update: Add 2022-2025 Transit vehicles. Some of the vehicles listed in the model statement abov… |
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 TSB 26-2185 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 26-2185 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 26-2185 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 39 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2026 Ford Bronco, 2025 Ford Bronco, 2024 Ford Bronco, 2026 Ford Expedition, 2025 Ford Expedition, 2026 Ford Explorer 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: 2025-2026 Nautilus: built on or after 17 Feb 2025; 2025-2026 F-150: built on or after 16 Jul 2025; 2024-2025 F-150: built on or before 15 Jul 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.