Ford Bronco 2020–2023 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin SSM 51542 · NHTSA communication 10234137 · issued Apr 6, 2023
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Engine and Engine Cooling
component
2020–2023
model years
7
vehicle entries
Official summary
Some 2020-2023 F-150 and 2021-2023 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 2.7L or 3.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a ticking/tapping or rattle type noise from the top front cover area of the engine on initial start-up after a cold soak of 6 hours or more that may last for 2-5 seconds. This may be due to a stuck internal component of the variable cam timing (VCT) unit. To correct the condition, replace all 4 of the VCT units following Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-01. For claiming, use causal part 6C525 and applicable labor operations in Section 6 of the Service Labor Time Standards (SLTS) Manual
Vehicles covered
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.