David J. Johnson
Director
Service Engineering Operations
Ford Customer Service Division

Ford Motor Company
P. O. Box 1904
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

October 12, 2018
TO:

All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Dealers

SUBJECT:

Customer Satisfaction Program 18N04
Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 and 2019 Model Year F-250 through F-550
Superduty Vehicles Equipped with a Diesel Engine
Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming

PROGRAM TERMS
This is a one-time repair program with no time or mileage limits.
Coverage is automatically transferred to subsequent owners.
URGENCY
Dealers are encouraged to complete this service on all in stock and customer vehicles brought in for
any reason to ensure vehicles meet conditional certifications described in the Reason For Program
section below.
VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS PROGRAM
Model
Vehicle
Assembly Plant
Year
F-150

2018

F-250 through
F-550

2019

Build Dates

Dearborn

September 13, 2017 through October 4, 2018

Kentucky Truck

March 5, 2018 through August 22, 2018

Ohio

May 7, 2018 through August 28, 2018

Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS.
REASON FOR PROGRAM
In all of the affected vehicles, the Diesel engines received a conditional certification from the California
Air Resources Board (CARB). While current vehicles comply with CARB and EPA emissions
regulatory requirements, the conditional certificate requires Ford to implement an enhanced
calibration, which must be applied to all affected vehicles that come into the dealer.
SERVICE ACTION
If an affected vehicle comes into the dealership for any reason, dealers are to reprogram the
Powertrain Control Module (PCM) using Integrated Diagnostic Software (IDS) release 111.03 or
higher. This service must be performed at no charge to the vehicle owner.
OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE
No owner notification will be mailed on this program.

 Copyright 2018 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I:
Attachment II:
Attachment III:

Administrative Information
Labor Allowances
Technical Information

QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE
For questions and assistance, contact the Special Service Support Center (SSSC) via the SSSC Web
Contact Site. The SSSC Web Contact Site can be accessed through the Professional Technician
Society (PTS) website using the SSSC link listed at the bottom of the OASIS VIN report screen or
listed under the SSSC tab.
Sincerely,

David J. Johnson

 Copyright 2018 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT I
Page 1 of 2
Customer Satisfaction Program 18N04
Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 and 2019 Model Year F-250 through F-550 Superduty Vehicles
Equipped with a Diesel Engine
Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming
OASIS ACTIVATION
OASIS will be activated on October 11, 2018.
FSA VIN LISTS ACTIVATION
FSA VIN Lists will not be activated for this service action.
SOLD VEHICLES
• Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle
inventory.
• Correct other affected vehicles identified in OASIS which are brought to your dealership
STOCK VEHICLES
• Perform this program on all affected vehicles in stock prior to delivery.
• Use OASIS to identify any affected vehicles in your used vehicle inventory
TITLE BRANDED / SALVAGED VEHICLES
Title branded, salvaged vehicles and vehicles with cancelled warranty coverage are eligible for this
program unless emission coverage is explicitly cancelled, as indicated by one of the following OASIS
Warranty Cancellation Messages only:
• SCRAPPED UNIT – ALL WARRANTY CANCELLED – TOTAL INCLUDING EMISSIONS
• ALL WARRANTY CANCELLED INCLUDING EMISSIONS
OWNER REFUNDS
Refunds are not approved for this program.
RENTAL VEHICLES
The use of rental vehicles is not approved for this program.
ADDITIONAL REPAIR (LABOR TIME AND/OR PARTS)
Additional repairs identified as necessary to complete the FSA should be managed as follows:
• For related damage and access time requirements, refer to the Warranty and Policy Manual –
Section 6 – Ford & Lincoln Program Policies / General Information & Special Circumstances
for FSA’s / Related Damage.
• For vehicles within new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, no SSSC approval is
required, although related damage must be on a separate repair line with the Related Damage
radio button checked.
o Ford vehicles – 3 years or 36,000 miles
• For vehicles outside new vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage, submit an Approval
Request to the SSSC Web Contact Site prior to completing the repair.

 Copyright 2018 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT I
Page 2 of 2
Customer Satisfaction Program 18N04
Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 and 2019 Model Year F-250 through F-550 Superduty Vehicles
Equipped with a Diesel Engine
Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming
CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION
• Claim Entry: Enter claims using Dealer Management System (DMS) or One Warranty
Solution (OWS) online.
o When entering claims, select claim type 31: Field Service Action. The FSA number
18N04 is the sub code.
o For additional claims preparation and submission information, refer to the Recall and
Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) Repairs in the OWS User Guide.
• Related Damage/Additional labor and/or parts: Must be claimed as Related Damage on a
separate repair line from the FSA with same claim type and sub code as described in Claim
Entry above.
IMPORTANT: Click the Related Damage Indicator radio button.
• Program Terms: This program does not have mileage or time limit.

 Copyright 2018 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT II
Page 1 of 1
Customer Satisfaction Program 18N04
Certain 2018 Model Year F-150 and 2019 Model Year F-250 through F-550 Superduty Vehicles
Equipped with a Diesel Engine
Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming
LABOR ALLOWANCES
Description
Reprogram PCM using IDS release 111.03 or higher.

Labor Operation

Labor Time

18N04B

0.4 hours

PARTS REQUIREMENTS / ORDERING INFORMATION
Parts are not required to complete this repair.

 Copyright 2018 Ford Motor Company

ATTACHMENT III
PAGE 1 OF 2
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 18N04

CERTAIN 2018 MODEL YEAR F-150 AND 2019 F-250 THROUGH F-550 SUPERDUTY
VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DIESEL ENGINE — POWERTRAIN CONTROL
MODULE REPROGRAMMING.
OVERVIEW
In all of the affected vehicles, the Diesel engines received a conditional certification from the California
Air Resources Board (CARB). While current vehicles comply with CARB and EPA emissions regulatory
requirements, the conditional certificate requires Ford to implement enhanced calibration, which must be
applied to all affected vehicles that come into the dealer.

SERVICE PROCEDURE
Module Reprogramming
NOTE: Reprogram appropriate vehicle modules before performing diagnostics and clear all DTCs after
programming. For DTCs generated after reprogramming, follow normal diagnostic service
procedures.
1. Connect a battery charger to the 12V battery.
NOTE: Make sure the IDS computer does not enter sleep mode during programming.
2. Reprogram the Power Control Module (PCM) using Integrated Diagnostic Software (IDS) release
111.03 or higher. Make sure you are connected to the Internet prior to reprogramming.

NOTE: Calibration files may also be obtained at www.motorcraftservice.com.
NOTE: Follow the IDS on-screen instructions to complete the reprogramming procedure.
3. Disconnect the battery charger from the 12V battery once the reprogramming has completed.

CPR © 2018 FORD MOTOR COMPANY
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN 48121
10/2018

ATTACHMENT III
PAGE 2 OF 2
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 18N04

Important Information for Module Programming

NOTE: When programming or reprogramming a module, use the following basic checks to ensure
programming completes without errors.
• Make sure the 12V battery is fully charged before carrying out the programming steps and
connect IDS/scan tool to a power source.
• Inspect Vehicle Communication Module (VCM) and cables for any damage. Make sure scan tool
connections are not interrupted during programming.
• A hardwired connection is strongly recommended.
• Turn off all unnecessary accessories (radio, heated/cooled seats, headlamps, interior lamps, HVAC
system, etc.) and close doors.
• Disconnect/depower any aftermarket accessories (remote start, alarm, power inverter, CB radio,
etc.).
• Follow all scan tool on-screen instructions carefully.
• Disable IDS/scan tool sleep mode, screensaver, hibernation modes.
• Create all sessions key on engine off (KOEO). Starting the vehicle before creating a session will
cause errors within the programming inhale process.

Recovering a module when programming has resulted in a blank module:
NEVER DELETE THE ORIGINAL SESSION!
a. Obtain the original IDS that was used when the programming error occurred during module
reprogramming (MR) or programmable module installation (PMI).
b. Disconnect the VCM from the data link connector (DLC) and the IDS.
c. Reconnect the VCM to IDS and then connect to the DLC. Once reconnected, the VCM icon should
appear in the corner of the IDS screen. If it does not, troubleshoot the IDS to VCM connection.

d. Locate the original vehicle session when programming failed. This should be the last session used
in most cases. If not, use the session created on the date that the programming failed.
NOTE: If the original session is not listed in the previous session list, click the Recycle Bin icon at the
lower right of the previous session screen. This loads any deleted sessions and allows you to
look through them. Double-click the session to restore it.
e. Once the session is loaded, the failed process should resume automatically.
f. If programming does not resume automatically, proceed to the Module Programming menu and select
the previously attempted process, PMI or MR.
g. Follow all on-screen prompts/instructions.
h. The last screen on the IDS may list additional steps required to complete the programming process.
Make sure all applicable steps listed on the screen are followed in order.

CPR © 2018 FORD MOTOR COMPANY
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN 48121
10/2018