Ford Explorer 2020–2026 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin SSM 54516 · NHTSA communication 11027821 · issued Jan 23, 2026
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Structure
component
2020–2026
model years
11
vehicle entries
Official summary
2020-2026 Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may require level III ballistic panels to be replaced due to broken mounting tabs. Individual level III ballistic panel mounting tab service parts are now available: right-hand (78201B68) and left-hand (78201B69). Replacement of the level III ballistic panel assembly is not required for this condition. Level IV ballistic panels do not have removable mounting tabs and still require complete panel replacement. Level III vs level IV ballistic panels can be identified by a large roman numeral label on the panel or by the vehicle window sticker if equip
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.