Ford Explorer 2020–2021 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin SSM 49953 · NHTSA communication 10199506 · issued Jul 12, 2021
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Engine and Engine Cooling
component
2020–2021
model years
3
vehicle entries
Official summary
Some 2021 Explorer ST and Aviator vehicles may exhibit a customer concern of undesirable powertrain sounds inside the vehicle and/or less than optimal speaker sound from the vehicle. This may be due to the engine sound enhancement (ESE) on Explorer ST vehicles and the active noise control (ANC) on Aviator vehicles not being activated. To correct the condition, use the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) > select Toolbox > ACM > ACM - Enable Engine Sound Enhancement and Active Noise Control. Click RUN and follow the on-screen instructions carefully. If prompted with a window stating Feature
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.