Lincoln over-the-air update SYNC-25.2.0.16.1
What it says"Quality Improvements Include: - Bug Fixing and Feature improvements. - Resolves black screen issue caused when there is no SiriusXM disk space." NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Lincoln filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Jan 22, 2026, received Feb 5, 2026, about the visibility/wiper — 1 document under this number: SYNC-25.2.0.16.1 Nautilus. It names 4 model years (2021–2024). An over-the-air update is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communication"Quality Improvements Include: - Bug Fixing and Feature improvements. - Resolves black screen issue caused when there is no SiriusXM disk space."
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SYNC-25.2.0.16.1 Nautilus | Over-the-air update | Jan 22, 2026 | 11028293 | PDF, 22 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 21 of them name Electrical System, Visibility/Wiper — 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.
Good afternoon, I am an owner of a 2002 Lincoln Nautilus. I wanted to report an electrical/battery issue with the vehicle that started a year and a half ago. In the past year and a half I have had 2 battery replacements with the most recent one being changed end of December of 2025 and in early March the battery went again so it's not…
2022 Lincoln Nautilus · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 19, 2026 · ODI 11725508
Vehicle died in parking lot. The electronics all worked, it just would not start and would not go into any gear. Had to have it towed to dealer for repair. They replaced the PCM but it still would not start. They again replaced the PCM and a fuse. The vehicle started. This is the FOURTH time for the exact same issue.
2021 Lincoln Nautilus · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 26, 2026 · ODI 11733835
Purchased vehicle 7/29/23 While driving 8/19, vehicle auto-shifted from drive into neutral and the check engine light appeared. I was in the process of accelerating from the on ramp & moving to the left lane. Attempts to return the vehicle to drive were unsuccessful & I coasted to the right shoulder of the highway.
2023 Lincoln Nautilus · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 20, 2023 · ODI 11539627
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 visibility/wiper
Source: same model, same component group6 other manufacturer communications filed against the Lincoln Nautilus under the same component group (visibility/wiper), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| DDM-26.21.5 | Over-the-air update | May 14, 2026 | Quality improvements include: -Prevents window bounce backs after using the one touch up feature |
| SSM 54581 | Service bulletin | Feb 16, 2026 | Some 2024-2026 Nautilus and 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator vehicles equipped with power folding mirrors may exhibit concerns with the auto foldi… |
| 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… |
| SSM 54137 | Service bulletin | Aug 14, 2025 | Various 2021-2025 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with the rear camera on demand feature may exhibit "Please Check Surroundings For Safet… |
| SSM 53842 | Service bulletin | May 23, 2025 | Some 2025 Expedition/Navigator/Nautilus customers may state that their windshield mounted toll road, home access, or other radio frequency i… |
| 23U11 | Service bulletin | Jan 19, 2024 | Certain 2024 Nautilus Vehicles HVAC Software Update for Electro-Mechanical Register Position Memory Retention |
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 SYNC-25.2.0.16.1 a recall?
No. A over-the-air update 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 SYNC-25.2.0.16.1 repair free?
A over-the-air update is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does SYNC-25.2.0.16.1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, 2023 Lincoln Nautilus, 2022 Lincoln Nautilus, 2021 Lincoln Nautilus. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.