TSB 13118 — Ford Service bulletin

13118 is a service bulletin on file with NHTSA for 2 Ford models, 1990–1992 model years. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

What the bulletin says. SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN ENGINE NOISE WHICH MAY BE PERCEIVED BY THE CUSTOMER AS A PISTON / CONNECTING ROD BEARING KNOCK.

NHTSA's own summary of the document, quoted from the public manufacturer-communications file.

1Document filed
2Vehicles named
3Model years

Vehicles and model years 13118 names

VehicleModel years
Ford Explorer 1990, 1991, 1992
Ford Ranger 1990, 1991, 1992

Every document filed under 13118

Document IDFiledType
13118 August 1, 1999 Service bulletin

What 13118 covers

Engine — the component vocabulary NHTSA files this communication under.

← All Ford Explorer TSB years TSB lookup by model

Questions buyers ask

What is TSB 13118?

13118 is a service bulletin filed with NHTSA by Ford, covering 2 Ford models across the 1990–1992 model years. NHTSA's summary reads: SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN ENGINE NOISE WHICH MAY BE PERCEIVED BY THE CUSTOMER AS A PISTON / CONNECTING ROD BEARING KNOCK.

Which vehicles does 13118 cover?

NHTSA's file names Ford Explorer (1990–1992); Ford Ranger (1990–1992). A bulletin number can be re-issued against more vehicles later, so check the model-year list on this page against your own.

Is TSB 13118 a recall, and is the repair free?

No. 13118 is repair guidance the manufacturer sent its dealers, not a safety defect finding. You pay for the work unless the vehicle is still under warranty. Recall repairs, by contrast, are always free.

How do I get the full text of 13118?

Take the document ID to a dealer's service desk, or search NHTSA's manufacturer-communications records. This page carries every document ID filed under 13118, its date, and NHTSA's own summary from the public file.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. This page lists only what NHTSA's manufacturer-communications file records under 13118. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.