general problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer - part 1

Headlight assembly. Low beam is "out". Check headlight assembly message appears on dash. Was told by Ford that the whole unit needed to be replaced for $1000+. Weeks later it started working normally again. How can it suddenly work when I was told the light was "out"? this has happened to many people with a platinum Explorer.

Led headlight assembly failure. Loss of headlight is a safety concern because by law you need both headlights working. It allows cars to see you. The malfunction of the headlight has been confirmed by a Ford dealership. There are several reports online of this happening to the 2020 Explorer led headlamps. The only warning was the message system.

Passenger side headlight low beam went out. Dealer says it’s $1500 because whole headlight assembly must be replaced instead of a bulb. We live off of social security, so of course we don’t have the money for this. Now we can’t drive at night and we both have medical problems. This is both worrisome and dangerous. After some research, this is a recurring issue, especially for platinums.

Over the past few years, the headlights will intermittently go out when driving. The problem usually resolves itself the next time the vehicle is started. However, over the past couple weeks, both drivers side low beams have gone out and stayed out a well as one passenger side low beam. This happened while my wife was driving through a snow storm, so you can imagine how fun that drive was. I’ve contacted Ford, as I can see this is a known problem with these led headlights by reading forums and talking to other owners. Their answer is simple, pay us 5k to replace the headlight! no thanks, this is a known issue with their product and shouldn’t be placing the onus on the consumer. To make it worse, it’s obviously a huge safety risk to be driving without headlights!!! since the latest incident, the lights have not come back on, forcing us to not use our main family vehicle at night. When the lights go out, it alerts and just says “check headlamp system”.

Passenger side headlight quit working, except on high beams. Also, dashboard warning came on about headlamp not working. Tried to get new bulbs and was told that the whole headlight assembly had to be replaced and dealership charges $1500+.

**upon request, all failed components can be inspected anytime for any reason. From this date (01/23/26) forward. If any repairs or replacementa had been rectified by Ford, receipts of the repair(s) will be provided regardless. I cannot recall exactly when these issues started so my ball park is 5/11/22. That is literally 2 years of driving the car from the show room. I was getting some lights on my dash that I have lost all functions with the vehicle . . . Drivers assistance, airbags, up hill decent, pre- collision, no driving modes and the car felt normal. I was still under warranty so the repair that was done was an update to the bcm (is what I am told. ) so the mechanic did a reprogram to the module. About a year I noticed I was then getting check headlamp notification pin my dash. I check the lamps and all seemed to be just fine. Also I was dealing with a dead battery all the time. At least once a month. But I was told I needed to drive the car more often. No matter still getting a dead monthly battery and here and there "check headlamp". Approx last year 2025, I realized. It was really dark driving the SUV. I get out and long behold the low beam headlamp was out. Played with switches. . Nothing. Checked into just getting a new one. Its is a staggering 1. 5k!!!!per headlamp! well, the cops pull me over 4 times. For a headlight with leds why am I even having to price this? this platinum trim just h I 5 years old and I cant believe all the problems. Along with that I found that this is considered something for the owner has to replace due to owners maintenance. No. This needs to be recalled. Should have already been recalled. The dead battery. Well. . . I know am out of all warranties to the vehicle and Ford is shutting the door in my face for any "goodwill repairs" (so far) as of this very moment, I have a dead 2020 Ford platinum Explorer. Heads lamp is still out. Yet there is a recall on a backup camera. Complete joke and this is literally disappointing.

When driving the vehicle's instrument panel cluster randomly goes blank. When it does so, all of the items related to speed control, lighting, turn signals, etc. Become non-operational. Additionally, the driver has no idea what his/her speed is nor any other information about the operation of the vehicle. It is very unsafe.

Left lowlight headlight stops working intermittently and then completely. Both front axles cracked. Right rear shock busted. Gas purge valve malfunctioned.

Kept getting a check headlamp system see manual for a couple days then the headlight went out.

Passenger headlight, led low beam has gone out. Daytime running lights, high beam, and turn signal still work. Tried replacing the module and it's the headlamp that is bad.

Low beam headlight won't work. Dealer advises that the whole assembly has to be replaced at a cost of over $1,500. It doesn't make sense to me that, for safety's sake, replacing a light bulb (cost = $120) translates into a full dismantling of the front grill and fender to replace the entire headlight assembly. This is a serious safety issue.

Failed low beam bulb makes it unsafe to drive at night. The led bulb is designed to last “life of the vehicle” and failed in less than 5 years. Replacing the bulb means replacing the entire assembly, >$1500. The bulb failed in significantly less than the typical lifespan.

Led headlight failure, driver's side, low beam.

Headlamp modules and headlamp do not properly function. Water can get into the module causing zero lights for the driver and is a safety hazard. Lights flicker or just turn off while driving. Electrical issue and not designed or installed properly. It should be able to be fixed with a new lightbulb but that is not the case.

Back up camera glitches and back up lights went out cause me to back into a tree at night.

Put vehicle in reverse camera camera on then went black and the backup lights went out while trying to move resulting in hitting a pole.

Getting random notifications on my dashboard to “check headlamp system” however I’m not seeing no any problems. I’m no mechanic by any stretch but from my perspective, the headlights work just fine. I have searched online for similar owner complaints and have found numerous forum posts from other Ford Explorer platinum owners. All of them stating they have taken it to the dealership. The common factor amongst all of them is that the dealer (bottom line up front) could not find the problem despite their numerous attempts to diagnose. Some dealers have gone as far as to suggest total replacement of the headlight module, which is a very costly part. Majority of customers after replacing it are stating it did not solve the problem. I do not want to fall into the same rabbit hole of buying parts I don’t need, only to end up in the same situation I’m in now. I’ve had this problem back in July of 2024. The problem went away for a bit and then suddenly reappeared today, 25 March 2025.

Headlight designed to last lifetime of vehicle failed after five years. Ford has designed so you can’t replace the bulbs for around 100 bucks but have to replace entire units for 1500 dollars apiece. Had issues before where it was off and on and they told me they couldn’t replace it unless it was off at time of inspection.

Per Ford, the headlights are supposed to last the life of my vehicle. My drivers side headlight is now out. You can’t just change the bulb. You have the change the whole assembly which is $1500+. The extended warranty doesn’t cover it either. It’s a major safety issue and most people (like myself) can’t afford it out of pocket.

I am upset that the led headlamps on my vehicle are not covered. Led lights are meant to have long lives, well beyond my 4 year old SUV. My complaint is that either Ford or the manufacturer of the headlamp should warranty their product to a standard of every other led product sold. Thank you.

Driver side low beam has stopped working. Ford was unable to pinpoint the problem and wants to replace the entire head lamp to cover all possibilities.

In may 2023 the passenger side headlight stopped working. For a few months it would intermittently work then go out. Then we had both headlights stop working. Took it to Ford dealership and they said it was just the passenger side headlight. Since it was led they had to replace the entire assembly for at total with labor of $2,182. 54. Now today Feb. 2025 the driver side led headlight stopped working. Same issues as before with the same symptoms leading up to the light stop working. Took it to my local repair shop and they will need to replace the entire headlight for around $2,400. I am upset because of the safety issues with these headlights and the cost! also, reading online there seems to be a lot of people with the same problems on these 2020 Ford Explorers.

Front headlight low beam. Light randomly turn off. Yes no alert on dashboard to check manual which provides no information. Internet search reveals this is a very pervasive issue with this vehicles and there should be a recall by Ford.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at night, the driver's side headlight failed to illuminate as intended and the failure was progressing with the passenger’s side front headlight. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed an abnormal buildup of condensation inside the front driver's side headlight. The message "driver side headlamp out" was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Low beam projector bulb prematurely fails. Replaced under warranty and failed again. Due to dynamic bending feature dealer recommended replacing entire assembly at a cost of $1500. High beam and dynamic bending works, just low beam out of service. Seems like a less costly option to replace led bulb. Online research lead to other owners reporting similar failures and replacement cost. Some owners replaced control module which fixed the issue, so it is possible that this is controller fault. But a non-working headlight is a safety issue as well as traffic violation. Is this an issue for this agency?.

Check headlamp system see manuel error message keeps coming up after replacing lighting modules. Led lights are working fine, but error keeps coming up. Dealership wants to keep replacing entire module which is around 2 grand per headlight. Replaced both modules and lights worked fine for about 24 hours before error message returns.

Low beam headlights have both went out in our second year of ownership. At 1600. 00 each and 600. 00 labor to replace.

Headlamp light came on in vehicle in December of 2024 and dealership replaced module which I had to pay for. 4 months later light came on again and dealership replaced module again at their cost, light came back on again right after the 2nd replacement of module. Dealership is not sure what to do but recommends replacing headlamp at my cost but not sure that will fix the problem. I have been driving around with the headlight light coming off and on for the last 10 months. Dealership has no idea what to do.

Passenger low beam light is out. It is dangerous to drive at night. Confirmed by dealer. Component has not been inspected. The message center on the front dashboard said check headlamp system refer to owners manual. Owners manual tells you nothing.

Front right passenger low beam has gone out. Ford dealership says this part is meant to last the lifetime of the vehicle and does not know why it has gone out. It occurred right after dealer did an oil change. After low beam went out a warning on the dash states to check headlamps. The dealer now wants to charge $2500 to replace the whole assemble. Being unable to see the road entirely is a safely risk especially since the primary driver is a third shift worker and we live an a rural community with a lot of deer and other wildlife.

Left headlight has gone out after only 46000 miles. A search of the internet for a fix for this reveals many individuals are having this issue on the platinum level trim models of the Ford Explorer. This is a safety risk as the whole headlight needs to be replaced at a cost of upwards of $2000. Other individuals have stated they have replaced the headlights multiple times under warranty. This should be looked into further.

Daytime running light on drivers side not functioning at all.

The top brake light bar on the wing over the trunk consistently fails. I have had to replace almost yearly. Water gets into the light bar causing the leds to short out and fail. This makes my brake activity difficult to see for truckers and other tall cars. This is certainly a design defect that water should get in do easily. In regards to dates, the lamp fails annually.

Headlight will stop working and turn off and then turn back on and start working again hours later.

We are having issue with the “check headlamp system check owners manual” display on the dash. Took it in for repair under warranty. They replaced passenger side headlamp. The warning still appears on dash. Is this an electrical issue? will this cause a fire if it’s a short somewhere? will the lights just malfunction going down the road if issue is not corrected? these are all questions I have and am concerned about my family’s safety….