TSB DOR-S3J9G-11 — Ford Service bulletin

DOR-S3J9G-11 is a service bulletin on file with NHTSA for the Ford Explorer, 2006–2010 model years. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

What the bulletin says. This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the ball joint assembly may cause a perceptible increase in…

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

1Document filed
1Vehicle named
5Model years

Vehicles and model years DOR-S3J9G-11 names

VehicleModel years
Ford Explorer 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Every document filed under DOR-S3J9G-11

Document IDFiledType
DOR-S3J9G-11 October 2, 2018 Service bulletin

What DOR-S3J9G-11 covers

Steering — the component vocabulary NHTSA files this communication under.

← All Ford Explorer TSB years TSB lookup by model

Questions buyers ask

What is TSB DOR-S3J9G-11?

DOR-S3J9G-11 is a service bulletin filed with NHTSA by Ford, covering the Ford Explorer across the 2006–2010 model years. NHTSA's summary reads: This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the ball joint assembly may cause a perceptible increase in…

Which vehicles does DOR-S3J9G-11 cover?

NHTSA's file names Ford Explorer (2006–2010). 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 DOR-S3J9G-11 a recall, and is the repair free?

No. DOR-S3J9G-11 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 DOR-S3J9G-11?

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 DOR-S3J9G-11, 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 DOR-S3J9G-11. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.