Dan Wilyard
Chief Engineer Recall
Service Engineering Operations
Ford Customer Service Division

Ford Motor Company
PO Box 1904
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

July 3, 2024

TO:

All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Dealers

SUBJECT:

Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01
Certain 2020-2022 Model Year Explorer Vehicles
Rear Axle Bolt Fractures

PROGRAM TERMS
This program provides a no-cost, one-time repair (if needed) to the rear axle bolt for 6 years of service
or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first.
This is a one-time repair program.
If a vehicle has already exceeded either the time or mileage limits, this no-cost, one-time repair will
last through July 31, 2025.
Coverage is automatically transferred to subsequent owners.
VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS PROGRAM
Assembly
Vehicle
Model Year
Plant
Explorer

Build Dates

2020

Chicago

October 19, 2018 through September 27, 2020

2021

Chicago

June 4, 2020 through November 10, 2021

2022

Chicago

June 29, 2021 through June 4, 2022

U.S. population of affected vehicles: 309,126. Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS.
REASON FOR PROVIDING A NO-COST, ONE-TIME REPAIR
In some of the affected vehicles, the rear axle bolt may fracture. A fractured rear axle bolt will allow
the rear axle housing to move out of position, resulting in severe noise and vibration. If the rear axle
bolt breaks, the driveshaft or half shafts may become disconnected, resulting in loss of transmission
torque to the rear wheels. Transmission torque is necessary to hold the vehicle in park and is also
needed for the vehicle to move forward or backward.
SERVICE ACTION
If an affected vehicle exhibits a fractured rear axle bolt, dealers are to replace the rear axle bolt, rear
differential cover and subframe bushing. This service must be performed on all affected vehicles at no
charge to the vehicle owner.
To assist vehicle owners to have this repair completed when parts are available, dealers should:
• Arrange to pick up the owner’s vehicle and drive it to the dealership for repairs.
o Re-deliver the owner’s vehicle after repairs have been completed.
• Pick-Up & Delivery service should be made available for all customers. Refer to the Rental
and Claiming sections for further details.

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

ESSENTIAL SPECIAL SERVICE TOOLS
If you do not have the special tools needed, please contact 1-800 ROTUNDA and choose option 3 to
place an order to purchase.
OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE
Owner Letters are expected to be mailed the week of July 15, 2024. Dealers should repair any
affected vehicles that experience Rear Axle Bolt Fractures, whether or not the customer has received
a letter.
ATTACHMENTS
• Administrative Information
• Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
• Technical Instructions
• Mobile Service Repair Assessment
• Vehicle Pick-Up & Delivery Record
• Owner Notification Letter
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
System (PTS) website using the SSSC link listed at the bottom of the OASIS VIN report screen or
listed under the SSSC tab.
Sincerely,

Dan Wilyard

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

Administrative Information
Page 1 of 4
Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01
MOBILE SERVICE REPAIR ASSESSMENT LEVEL
• All repairs in this program have the following assessment level.
- Not a Mobile Service Repair
OASIS ACTIVATION
OASIS will be activated on July 3, 2024.
FSA VIN LISTS ACTIVATION
FSA VIN Lists will not be activated for this service action.
SOLD VEHICLES
• Only owners with affected vehicles that exhibit the covered condition will be directed to dealers
for repairs.
• Dealers are to prioritize repairs of customer vehicles over repairs of new and used vehicle
inventory.
STOCK VEHICLES
• Do not perform this program unless the affected vehicle exhibits the covered condition.
BRANDED / SALVAGED TITLE VEHICLES
Vehicles with canceled warranties are not eligible for this service action.
OWNER REFUNDS
Refunds are approved for this program.
• Ford Motor Company is offering a refund for owner-paid repairs covered by this program if the
repair was performed before the date of the Owner Notification Letter. This refund offer expires
January 31, 2025.
• Dealers are also pre-approved to refund owner-paid emergency repairs that were performed
away from an authorized servicing dealer after the date of the Owner Notification Letter. Noncovered repairs, or those judged by Ford to be excessive, will not be reimbursed.
• Refunds will only be provided for the cost associated with Rear Axle Bolt Fractures.
RENTAL VEHICLES
The use of rental vehicles is not approved for this program.
TOWING
If towing is required, dealers are authorized to claim up to a maximum value of $250 to provide towing
services for this program.
PICK-UP & DELIVERY- Participating Dealers
Dealers participating in the Remote Experience Program:
• Ford Dealers - Refer to EFC14125, 2024 Remote Experience Program, Pick-Up & Delivery
Offset section for additional details.

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

Administrative Information
Page 2 of 4
Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01
PICK-UP & DELIVERY- Non-participating Dealers
Ford Dealers not participating in the 2024 Remote Experience Program for Pick-Up & Delivery are
authorized to claim unique services for completing this program.
• Dealers are authorized to claim one-half labor hour per repair for vehicle Pick-Up & Delivery
services. Refer to Labor Allowances for details.
• Dealers must retain a Vehicle Pick-Up & Delivery Record with the repair order documentation.
REPAIR PHOTO SUBMISSION
Ford has requested photo evidence prior to performing the repair for this FSA.
• The SSSC must provide approval prior to performing the repair.
• Contact the SSSC and upload the necessary photo or copy of documentation as an
attachment for review. Please include a picture of the VIN Plate, a picture of the current
vehicle mileage and a picture of the fractured rear axle bolt. This can be done in two ways:
o Directly in the SSSC contact request form while submitting your contact on your
desktop.
o Via PTS Mobile under the Images / Files Upload menu selection
 You should select SSSC in the sub-menu and ensure your P&A code is correct.
Upload the photo(s) by selecting the appropriate FSA with the option to use a
prior contact ID. These photo(s) will be associated with your SSSC contact
during submission.
 If you have not submitted a SSSC contact yet, then you can still upload the
photo(s) via PTS Mobile, and the photo(s) will be available when opening your
SSSC contact for this VIN and recall.
• Upon approval, the SSSC will provide an approval code that must be used for claiming.
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 before completing the repair.

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01

Administrative Information
Page 3 of 4

CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION
• Technician Competency Requirement: The STST Competency 10 certification requirement
in the U.S. market only will be enforced starting with repair orders opened on or after April 1,
2024. FSA repairs will reject if the repairing technician is not certified in STST Competency 10
FSA. See EFC14251 for more details.
• Note: All repairs for this program should be claimed using the claim entry direction below
regardless if the vehicle is still under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
o Service Part Warranty (SPW) and/or Ford/Lincoln Loyalty Plans (ESP) eligible vehicles –
Claim repairs to FSA 24N01 if the vehicle is still within time and mileage limits.
• Claim Entry: Enter claims using Dealer Management System (DMS) or One Warranty
Solution (OWS) online.
o When entering claims:
 Claim type 31: Field Service Action
 Sub Code: 24N01
 Customer Concern Code (CCC): K18 – Rear Drive Unit (RDU)
 Condition Code (CC): 01 – Broken/Cracked
 Causal Part Number: 4001, Quantity 0
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 the same claim type and subcode as described in Claim
Entry above.
IMPORTANT: Click the Related Damage Indicator radio button.
• Refunds: Submit refunds on a separate repair line.
- Program Code: 24N01
- Misc. Expense: ADMIN
- Misc. Expense: REFUND - Misc. Expense: 0.2 Hrs.
o Multiple refunds should be submitted on one repair line and the invoice details for each
repair should be detailed in the comments section of the claim.
• Pick-Up & Delivery:
o Dealers participating in the Remote Experience Program –
 Refer to EFC14125, 2024 Remote Experience Program, Pick-Up & Delivery
(PDL) Offset section for additional details.
o Dealers NOT participating in the Remote Experience Program –
 Dealers may claim one-half labor hour per repair for vehicle Pick-Up & Delivery
services.
 Dealers must retain a Vehicle Pick-Up & Delivery Record with the repair order
documentation.

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01

Administrative Information
Page 4 of 4

CLAIMS PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION (Continued)
• Provision for Locally Obtained Supplies: Includes Loctite® 263 Red High Strength
Threadlocker or equivalent. Submit on the same line as the repair.
o Program Code: 24N01
o Misc. Expense: OTHER
o Misc. Expense: Claim up to $2.00 (If claiming both local supplies and towing, $252.00 total
for Misc. Expense: Other)
• Provision for Towing: Dealers are authorized to claim up to a maximum value of $250 to
provide towing services for completing this program. Submit on the same line as the repair.
o Program Code: 24N01
o Misc. Expense: OTHER
o Misc. Expense: Claim up to $250.00 (If claiming both local supplies and towing, $252.00
total for Misc. Expense: Other)

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
Page 1 of 4
Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01
LABOR ALLOWANCES
Description

Labor Operation

Labor Time

24N01E

3.6 Hour(s)

Vehicle Pick-Up & Delivery Allowance:
This allowance is only for non-eligible 2023 Remote
Experience Program Dealers.
Note: This allowance is for dealer-performed vehicle PickUp & Delivery for dealership repairs only. Can only be
claimed once, regardless of outstanding FSAs repaired.

24N01PP

0.5 Hour(s)

Time allowed to submit photos.
Note: To claim this labor operation, a SSSC approval code
is needed during the repair and claim approval process.

24N01ZZ

0.2 Hour(s)

Replace the rear subframe bushing, mounting bolt,
REPLACE rear differential cover.
Includes time to use Mini-Ductor (Or equivalent) to only heat
Rear-Differential-Unit (RDU) Front Bushing bolts, drilling the
bushing and/or rust/corrosion factor.
Note: To claim this labor operation, a SSSC approval code
is needed during the repair and claim approval process.

PARTS REQUIREMENTS / ORDERING INFORMATION

Special Program Part Ordering:

To place an order for the Circlips and Updated Bushing, submit a Special Program order in the DOW
system. SSSC contact is not required to order K-Coded parts on this program. More information
can be found in EFC 10642.
Order
Claim
Part Number
Description
Quantity Quantity
L1MZ-4B425-D
*-3B498-*

Revised Rear Subframe Bushing

1

1

Rear Axle Pinion Circlip (All Applications)
(Vehicle specific part number – Refer to parts catalog)

1

1

Rear - Inner Halfshaft Circlip (All Applications)
2
2
(Vehicle specific part number – Refer to parts catalog)
Dealers will be notified via a DOES II communication if circumstances warrant a change in part supply
strategy and when open ordering resumes.
L1MZ-3B498-*

 Copyright 2024 Ford Motor Company

Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
Page 2 of 4
Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01
PARTS REQUIREMENTS / ORDERING INFORMATION (Continued)

Order the parts below through normal order processing channels:

Order
Quantity

Claim
Quantity

Differential Axle Cover Housing

1

1

W719362-S439

Toe Link to Knuckle Bolt (1 required – 4 in a pack)

1

1

W520516-S441

Toe Link to Knuckle Nut

1

1

W714297-S440

Lower Arm to Knuckle Nut (1 required – 2 in a pack)

1

1

W720988-S439

Differential Axle Rear Cover Housing Bolt to Rear
Subframe (M14X118MM) (1 required – 4 in a pack)

1

1

W717867-S900

Differential Axle Front Bushing Housing Support Bolts
to Subframe (M14X132MM) (2 required – 4 in a pack)

1

2

W719459-S439

Upper Arm to Knuckle Bolt (1 required – 4 in a pack)

1

1

W520214-S440

Upper Arm to Knuckle Nut (1 required – 2 in a pack)

1

1

W720034-S440

Shock Absorber Lower Nut (1 required – 4 in a pack)

1

1

LB5Z-3B477-A

Wheel Hub Nut

1

1

W717822-S439

Driveshaft Center Bearing Bolts (2 required – 4 in a
pack)

1

2

W719511-S439

Flexplate Coupling to Transmission Bolts (3 required –
4 in a pack)

1

3

Grease

As Required

L1MZ-3C084-A

Halfshaft Seal

2

2

W719430-S439

Brake Caliper Bolts (2 required – 4 in a pack)

1

2

XY-75W85-QL

Differential Oil

2

2

Parts Required for Subframe Bushing Replacement
L1MZ-4033-C

XG-1-E1

Obtain Locally

TA-26

TA-29