Lincoln bulletin SSM 54273
What it saysSome 2025 Aviator vehicles may exhibit approach detection/welcome lighting inoperative. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Lincoln filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 5, 2025, received Oct 8, 2025, about the electrical system. 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 2025 Aviator vehicles may exhibit approach detection/welcome lighting inoperative. This may be due to the configuration of the BCM with RU5T-14C184-AGY software. To confirm a vehicle is equipped with a certain software level, review the software information by hovering over the "Diagnostics" tab in Professional Technician System (PTS) and selecting "Vehicle Software". For vehicles with RU5T-14C184-AGY software in the BCM, download and run the "BCM - Body Control Module (BCM) Software Update" application using the latest version of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool. For vehicles with any other software level in the BCM, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-14 to continue with normal diagnostics outside of this article. For claiming, use causal part 15604 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D4.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54273 | Service bulletin | Oct 5, 2025 | 11024066 | PDF, 67 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 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 18 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 5 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.
Multiple loss of power, misfires, rough running and abnormal shifting. These events have put my family and I at risk as well as posing a significant risk to other drivers sharing the road due to the sudden loss of power while on the highway. Lincoln is dismissive and not taking this seriously.
2025 Lincoln Aviator · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 15, 2026 · ODI 11764477
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 group78 other manufacturer communications filed against the Lincoln Aviator under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Lincoln list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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… |
| SSM 55208 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 F-150, 2025 Explorer/Aviator, 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator, or 2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble co… |
| TCU-26.2.11.5 | Over-the-air update | Sep 24, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Addresses key off load battery usage caused by the Telematics Control Unit's Wi-Fi not powering down properly… |
| 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… |
| BCM-26.DC | Over-the-air update | Sep 4, 2026 | Quality improvements include: - Enables the Open On Approach feature |
| SSM 55131 | Service bulletin | Aug 27, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Nautilus/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature in… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Lincoln, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Lincoln SSM 54273 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 54273 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 54273 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Lincoln Aviator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.