Ford bulletin TSB 26-2196
What it saysReason for update: To update vehicle symptoms, affected vehicle lines, and model years. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 27, 2026, received May 5, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 9 model years across Ford and Lincoln (2024–2026). 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 26-2100. Reason for update: To update vehicle symptoms, affected vehicle lines, and model years. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor speaker sound quality (static, pop, crackle) while using Apple CarPlay® or Bluetooth audio Poor or muffled outbound phone call sound quality while using Apple CarPlay® or Bluetooth audio This may be due to the software in the accessory protocol interface module (APIM).
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2196 | Service bulletin | Apr 27, 2026 | 11032256 | PDF, 133 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 262196A | 2024-2026 Nautilus: Check APIM Software Version, Reprogram APIM, TCU, and GWM 1… | 2.6 hrs |
| 262196B | 2024-2026 Nautilus: Extra Time for Additional GWM Reprograming (Can Be Claimed With… | 0.5 hrs |
| 262196C | 2024-2026 Nautilus: Extra Time for Additional TCU Reprograming (Can Be Claimed With… | 0.4 hrs |
| 262196D | 2024-2026 Nautilus: Extra Time for Additional APIM Reprograming (Can Be Claimed With… | 1.2 hrs |
| 262196E | 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator: Check APIM Software Version, Reprogram APIM, TCU, and… | 2.6 hrs |
| 262196F | 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator: Extra Time for Additional GWM Reprograming (Can Be… | 0.5 hrs |
| 262196G | 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator: Extra Time for Additional TCU Reprograming (Can Be… | 0.4 hrs |
| 262196H | 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator: Extra Time for Additional APIM Reprograming (Can Be… | 1.2 hrs |
| 262196J | 2025 Expedition/Navigator: Check APIM Software Version, Reprogram APIM, TCU, and GWM… | 2.6 hrs |
| 262196K | 2025 Expedition/Navigator: Extra Time for Additional GWM Reprograming (Can Be… | 0.5 hrs |
| 262196L | 2025 Expedition/Navigator: Extra Time for Additional TCU Reprograming (Can Be… | 0.4 hrs |
| 262196M | 2025 Expedition/Navigator: Extra Time for Additional APIM Reprograming (Can Be… | 1.2 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 3 model years
Lincoln 6 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 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 306 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 61 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.
This vehicle has been returned to service 5 times. It is currently in service for the same 4 issues that it was taken to service for the very first time on 12/10/2025. This includes inappropriate braking on the interstate, driver window malfunction, the key intermittently stops working, and the connectivity does not regularly work.
2025 Lincoln Navigator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 2, 2026 · ODI 11715174
I had my car in drive in a parking spot. I was ready to go, put the car in drive, DID NOT MOVE but needed to put it in park fast to assist to a child in the back seat. I put it in park pretty fast. Took my seatbelt off and assisted child. It must have not engaged. Car rolled into my office metal mailbox. I 100% put it in park.
2026 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 25, 2026 · ODI 11759587
During a short drive between and roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in . No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear.
2025 Lincoln Nautilus · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 28, 2026 · ODI 11760280
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 group268 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… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| SSM 55241 | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Aviator vehicles may exhibit a "Door Fault Service Required", "Transmission Not In Park" and/or "Hill Start Assist Not Availa… |
| SSM 55220 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Expedition/Navigator vehicles may experience Android Auto connection or general Bluet… |
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 26-2196 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 26-2196 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 26-2196 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 9 model years across 2 brands (Ford and Lincoln): 2025 Ford Expedition, 2026 Ford Explorer, 2025 Ford Explorer, 2026 Lincoln Aviator, 2025 Lincoln Aviator, 2026 Lincoln Nautilus 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 Explorer: built on or before 3 Feb 2026; 2025-2026 Aviator: built on or before 3 Feb 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.