Lincoln bulletin SSM 54938
What it saysSome 2025/2026 Aviator vehicles may exhibit a "Door Fault Service Required", "Transmission Not In Park" and/or "Hill Start Assist Not Available" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) with diagnostic trouble code… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Lincoln filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 16, 2026, received Jun 17, 2026, about the structure. It names 2 model years (2025–2026). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2025/2026 Aviator vehicles may exhibit a "Door Fault Service Required", "Transmission Not In Park" and/or "Hill Start Assist Not Available" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) B1262:92 stored in multiple door latch control modules (DCME, DCMF, DCMG, and/or DCMH). DTC U0504 may also be stored in the gearshift module (GSM). This may be due to the software in the door latch control modules. To correct this condition, download and run the following applications using the latest software level of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) scan tool. "DCME - Door Control Module E (DCME) Software Update" "DCMF - Door Control Module F (DCMF) Software Update" "DCMG - Door Control Module G (DCMG) Software Update" "DCMH - Door Control Module H (DCMH) Software Update" For claiming use causal part 54219A65 and labor operation MT54219SSM up to 0.5 hours.
Trouble codes it names: B1262 U0504
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 54938 | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | 11033911 | PDF, 73 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
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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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 20 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
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group11 other manufacturer communications filed against the Lincoln Aviator under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Lincoln list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGTM-26.AF | Over-the-air update | Aug 27, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Rear Gate latch calibration update to permit unlatching via the release button when the system has lost posit… |
| SSM 55118 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2026 | Some of the following vehicles: * 2023-2025 F-Super Duty built on or before 02-Feb-2025 * 2024-2026 Ranger/Bronco/Mustang * 2024-2025 F-15… |
| SSM 54882 | Service bulletin | May 29, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator vehicles may exhibit a no crank/no start/discharged battery condition with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) B1… |
| SSM 54829 | Service bulletin | May 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power autofold exterior mirrors may exhibit concerns with the… |
| SSM 54800 | Service bulletin | May 5, 2026 | Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator and 2026 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may exhibit an intermittent inoperative remote start feature using ei… |
| PHX-25.DC | Over-the-air update | Feb 6, 2026 | "Quality improvements include: -Enables the Open on Approach feature on the vehicle" |
| SSM 54555 | Service bulletin | Feb 6, 2026 | Some 2020-2022-Corsair, 2021-2023 Nautilus, 2020-2024 Navigator/Aviator, and 2021-2024 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with phone-as-a-key… |
| ECG-25.2.8.4.1 | Over-the-air update | Sep 2, 2025 | Quality improvements include: -Robustness action to ensure Diagnostic Trouble Codes are being set correctly. -Prevents a network communicati… |
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 54938 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 54938 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 54938 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Lincoln Aviator, 2025 Lincoln Aviator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.