Lincoln bulletin SSM 55051
What it saysSome 2025-2027 Navigator vehicles equipped with multi-contour seats (minor feature code BYBAL) may exhibit a "Seat cannot lock, Do not use" warning message for second row seats without any relevant diagnostic trouble… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Lincoln filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 28, 2026, received Aug 3, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 3 model years (2025–2027). 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 2025-2027 Navigator vehicles equipped with multi-contour seats (minor feature code BYBAL) may exhibit a "Seat cannot lock, Do not use" warning message for second row seats without any relevant diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) stored. The second row seat(s) may also exhibit a rattle noise while driving from one of the seat latches without a warning message. This may be due to one of the power seat latches losing its learned home position. To relearn the home position, start with the seat down and latched. Press and hold the power return button on the seat back for at least 5 seconds. Release the return button. Wait 20 seconds, then confirm proper power pitch and stow operation of the affected seat. Road test the vehicle above 5 MPH (8 km/h) to confirm the warning light and/or rattle concern is resolved. For claiming, use causal part 7863161 and labor operations 12651D and 12651D45. If the concern persists, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-10B for normal diagnostics and repair the vehicle outside of this article. To confirm a vehicle is built with a certain minor feature code, r
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55051 | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2026 | 11035511 | PDF, 72 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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 4 of them name Electrical System, Seats — 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
The second-row power captain's chairs in my 2026 Lincoln Navigator Black Label move forward and backward while a person is sitting in them, and do not stop when they press against an occupant.
2026 Lincoln Navigator · Seats · filed with NHTSA Oct 29, 2026 · ODI 11774429
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 group119 other manufacturer communications filed against the Lincoln Navigator 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 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… |
| 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 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… |
| DDM-PDM-26.21.7 | Over-the-air update | Sep 25, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Software update to improve responsiveness of the door control system after the vehicle enters a low-power sta… |
| SSM 55198 | Service bulletin | Sep 24, 2026 | Some 2025-2027 Navigator vehicles equipped with multi-contour seats (minor feature code BYBAL) may exhibit a condition where the second-row… |
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 55051 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 55051 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 55051 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2027 Lincoln Navigator, 2026 Lincoln Navigator, 2025 Lincoln Navigator. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.