Ford bulletin TSB 26-2200
What it saysSome of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit an inoperative dark car mode. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 1, 2026, received May 6, 2026, about the exterior lighting. It names 1 model year (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 communicationSome of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit an inoperative dark car mode. The vehicle may exhibit at least one of the following features remaining functional when dark car mode is enabled: * Illuminated odometer, compass, outside air temperature, audio/phone display. * Illuminated main message center display area. * Courtesy lighting * Welcome/farewell animation * Night lock indicator * Passenger airbag disable (PAD) indicator dims to minimum brightness * Locking flash/horn feedback This may be due to the software in the body control module (BCM) and the accessory protocol interface module (APIM).
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2200 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | 11032266 | PDF, 127 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 262200A | 2025 Police Interceptor Utility – Program BCM, Check APIM Software Version, Read The… | 0.5 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 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 102 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 23 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.
Gateway module does not work. I've had my 2025 vehicle since 11/21/2024 (over 7 months) and it has never worked. I have not had a safety update since 05/2024 when it was at the factory. There has been many OTA updates and updates that need to be preformed at dealership and have not had any completed.
2025 Ford Explorer · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 4, 2025
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 exterior lighting
Source: same model, same component group5 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ford Explorer under the same component group (exterior lighting), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54008 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2025 | Some 2021-2025 F-150 non-Lightning, 2023-2025 F-Super Duty, 2024-2025 Ranger, and 2025 Explorer vehicles may exhibit a perceived improper fu… |
| SSM 52941 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2024 | Some 2020-2025 Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit multiple warning messages, various driveability concerns and/or an ill… |
| SSM 52896 | Service bulletin | Sep 18, 2024 | Some 2023-2025 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with the 3.0L EcoBoost engine and up to 15,000 miles (24,140 km) may exhibit an illuminate… |
| SSM 51845 | Service bulletin | Aug 4, 2023 | Some 2020-2023 Explorer vehicles may exhibit a condition of intermittent headlamp operation while the vehicle is OFF and have diagnostic tro… |
| SSM 51628 | Service bulletin | May 11, 2023 | Some 2020-2023 Explorer vehicles may exhibit a condition of intermittent headlamp operation while the vehicle is OFF and have diagnostic tro… |
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 26-2200 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 26-2200 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 26-2200 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ford Explorer. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.