60 of the 3,270 complaints about the Ford Explorer (1.8%) concern Lighting, making it the model's #12 problem area. That share is 1.2× the Lighting share across all tracked vehicles.
60Complaints · Lighting
1.8%Share of complaints
1.18×vs. all vehicles
24Last 12 months
1.7%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
24 Lighting complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 25 in the 12 months before — down 4%.
1 of these reports (1.7%) describes a crash or fire, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 26V121000 (2026-03-03, model years 2025 and 2026).
Back up camera glitches and back up lights went out cause me to back into a tree at night
Lighting · 2025-06-05 · ODI 11664995 · Crash
Faulty led chip in headlight, DRL , high beam & low beams affected EXACTLY like the recalled 2026 models.. ford recommended replacement @ 2,400$ Ford should be forced to extend the recall to all affected models.
Lighting · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770507
Drivers side low beam intermittently does not operate. Becoming more and more common. Now, passenger side lamp is doing the exact same thing, and both shut down while in motion at night. These lamps should not fail like this.
Lighting · 2026-10-04 · ODI 11768857
Passenger headlight module has blown and seems to be an issue with the 2020 Ford Explorer.
Lighting · 2026-09-18 · ODI 11765374
The passenger headlight low beam does not work.This has been identified by an Independent service center. The Check Headlight System message shows on dashboard. Bought the car in 2023 and the headlight has not worked for 2 years.
Lighting · 2026-08-24 · ODI 11759016
Vehicle is not even 5 years old , and passenger headlight - low beam failed. Ford Dealership quote is around $3000. Online forums show that this is a defect for the platinum models.
Lighting · 2026-06-26 · ODI 11746612
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer vehicles. The Dynamic Bending Light (DBL) system software may cause the passenger-side headlight to turn in the wrong direction when driving through curves in the road. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: The headlight control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 23, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C12. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 5, 2026.
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. When towing a trailer, the tail lights on the trailer may fail to illuminate due to an improperly manufactured body control module. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the body control module C on vehicles with less than 9,000 miles. For vehicles over 9,000 miles, dealers will perform a functional check on the body control module C and replace it as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Aviator 2025 owner notification letters were mailed October 13, 2025. Explorer 2025 owner letters were mailed November 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C42.
