Exterior Lighting Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

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. There is an existing recall for 2026 vehicles with the exact same issues.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Passenger headlight module has blown and seems to be an issue with the 2020 Ford Explorer.

#1st- the ac goes on and off and now the ac no longer works it only blows out hot air ,earlier but it turns on and off by itself #2- the lights flicker #3- the seats move by themselves and just today Sunday [xxx] the seat having to see what all the way back by yourself thinning my [xxx] son's legs against his car seat thank [xxx] my fiance was in the passenger seat when it happened and had to lift it up and then it clicked and started moving back up by itself the dealership jim hudson dealership did 10 different service calls for electrical issues and did not report it to me once we plan on going in there and figuring out because I do not want this truck that's dangerous for my life as well as my [xxx] and my [xxx] turn the process of selling me the vehicle that did not tell me person that this vehicle has had electrical issues from day one with only 8000 miles on it was the first report of the electrical issue I had to look it up on the Ford app and found out that it's been serious 10 different times what's the dealership did not tell me in person first issue with this truck as nf electrical was information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The passenger headlamp has went out and after researching this is supposed to be a lifetime lamp and has become a common issue on these vehicles. If these lamps are malfuntioning it should be recalled because it is a safety issue specially to ones that already have vision issues at night.

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. I feel I should be protected as I am still paying for this vehicle and plan to keep it for many years. This is a major safety component as without a trusted lighting system, this vehicle can be dangerous and lacks peace of mind.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The driver side headlight low beam led stopped functioning. I noticed moisture inside the headlight housing. I bought a replacement headlight unit and a control module. The replacement headlight housing has also had the low beam go out, again. Now I have to purchase a module to see if the headlight itself is fine and it's possibly just the module that's going out. A lot of other people are having the same exact issue. This is ridiculous. How is this not a recall item?.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Driver side headlamp low beam has burned out. They are supposed to be lifetime led headlamps, not burn out after only 67,000 miles.

Vehicle is equipped with operational red and blue lights that are prohibited under the color of law, and facilitates criminal activity upon a purchase agreement. Seller has actual knowledge and can be liable under the color of law. Vehicle has open recalls.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Vehicle equipped with operational red and blue emergency lights prohibited by law, facilitates criminal activity such as impersonation of a police officer, civil regulatory laws regarding excess auxiliary lights, etc. Seller has actual knowledge and can be liable under color of law upon a purchase agreement with a buyer. Vehicle has open recalls and unresolved mechanical/electrical maintenance.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Vehicle equipped with red and blue emergency lights, excessive auxiliary lights prohibited by law, facilitates color of law violations, poses a risk to general public regarding harassment, impersonation of police officer, seller has actual knowledge, strictly liable upon a purchase agreement with buyer, and can be liable for crimes committed by others as a coconspirator.

Vehicle equipped with operation red and blue auxiliary emergency lights, prohibited and protected by law for law enforcement use only, facilitates impersonation of a police officer, false detention, harassment, legal scrutiny for police, seller has actual knowledge, strictly liable upon a purchase agreement with a buyer, and can be liable for crimes committed by another by aiding an offender under the color of law. Vehicle has open recalls, mechanical/electrical/lighting issues and requires maintenance.

Faint popping and knocking sound coming from front suspension, loud clunk coming from rear suspension when going over bumps. Both seem to cause vehicle to be floaty while driving. Also headlights sometime flicker while driving with switch in auto position and sometimes will not shut off after exiting vehicle ( have to turn switch to off position and then back to auto to resolve ) vehicle has approximately 21k miles on it but off warranty due to time. Will be bringing into local repair shop soon.

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Passenger low-beam headlight failure. Dealer replaced headlight module but did not resolve. Next suggestion is replacing headlight for more than $2,000. Quite common issue on the platinum model.

Ever since my b pillar came off my car my cabin lights stay on longer than usual and my trunk cant be opened, both being an inconvenience. Dealer agreed the lights stay on because of what broke off but since theres no remedy they cant do anything about it. Ive already had to purchase a battery and will soon prob going to need to again but Ford will not pay for one despite it being they're fault.

My front passenger get side lighting component started blinking about 6 months ago. Now it’s completely out. I went to get a new bulb and they told me I need to buy the entire lighting unit it’s $2800 at the dealership. I joined a Ford group on facebook and hundreds of people are having the same issue. Some models newer than mine, but most from 2020 - 205 models. I reached out to Ford they won’t cover the issue.

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.

The driver side headlight low beam will not work. Dealership said 1700+ labor to replace. I have looked into this and several other Ford Explorer platinum owners have same issue.

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.

Adaptive headlamps keep going out causing a safety issue.

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.

Led low beam headlight failures. Our 1st headlight failure occurred in January 2025 at 51,248 miles (passengers side), our 2nd failure occurred in December 2025 at 64,356 miles (drivers side). My claim is Ford decided to embrace led technology with out properly performance testing it. Led headlights are new on the Explorer platform since 2020, the platinum & st trims are the only ones that utilizes led's to my knowledge. The design intent was life of car which clearly is not occurring. Ford should have completed more testing and/or designed a serviceable headlight for all internal components. The cost of these lights is astronomical ($1600 a pop w/o labor or diagnosis fee). As reference we also own a 2006 Audi s4 & a 2012 f150 XLT. The Audi has ~170k miles on it and the f150 has ~130k miles on it. Both have the original headlights and bulbs within them. Both older technology and both still working as intended. The headlights in the 2021 car both failed in terms of the low beam led components failing in under 4 years. Seems to be a common issue in over 50% of 6th generation platinum trim level explores on the market. Numerous others have experience similar issues. Asking for a recall for these. Again only on platinum & st trims so not nearly as many at the average XLT level trims.

My vehicle originally showed more than 10 open safety recalls in the Fordpass app and at the servicing dealer. I saved screenshots of each recall. After Ford performed a remote over-the-air software update, all but one recall suddenly disappeared from the app even though no physical repairs were done and no documentation was provided. Nhtsa still shows recall 25v543 as incomplete, involving bcm soldering defects that can cause trailer taillamp failure, electrical malfunctions, hvac issues, mirror/window failures, power outlet issues, and other safety-related electrical problems. The dealer has not scheduled the repair despite parts being listed as available. Ford motor company and the dealer have not provided any recall history, oasis report, repair documentation, or explanation for why multiple recalls disappeared. This creates a safety concern because the vehicle may have unresolved electrical or lighting defects that were not properly repaired or were prematurely marked as closed after a software update. The issue has not been resolved, and Ford has not responded to multiple requests.

See all problems of the 2025 Ford Explorer 🔎.

“I rented vehicle VIN [xxx] from budget rental car in panama city beach, FL (reservation #xxx, rental agreement xxx). I later discovered the vehicle had an unrepaired federal safety recall (NHTSA recall 25v543 / manufacturer recall 25c42) involving the body control module. Budget never informed me of the recall at any time. On November 11, 2025, when I attempted to extend my rental, the representative told me the vehicle had been ‘sold’ and must be returned within two days. When I attempted to exchange it on November 12–13 at three different budget locations in lansing, mi, they refused to take the vehicle, stating it had a safety recall and should not have been rented out. Only after this did I check the VIN myself and learn of the safety recall. The recall affects multiple electrical and visibility-related components: trailer lights, interior lights, mirrors, windows, rear defroster, usb/12v ports, and hvac systems. These issues can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash. While driving the vehicle, I experienced visibility problems. The windows fogged up severely, and the defroster did not operate properly. As a result, I was unable to see an animal that entered the roadway and unfortunately struck it. There is now damage to the front driver’s side of the vehicle. This visibility impairment aligns with the body control module recall defects described by NHTSA. This vehicle should not have been rented to any customer, especially with the remedy unavailable until late 2025. I am reporting this because an unrepaired safety recall vehicle placed into active rental service directly resulted in a visibility hazard and an unavoidable collision while I was driving. ” I did not make it back in time to return the vehicle yesterday 11/14/2025 I am finishing up this report and on my way to budget in panama city beach florida to return it. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle low beam headlights went out all of the sudden. Would not come back on after car was turned off and restarted. Drove home with high beams on. Next day, just the driver side low beam came back on. Took to dealer, they reprogrammed and headlights worked for three days, then went passenger low beam went out again. Took back to dealer and now they are telling me both headlamp control modules on both sides need replacing. The cost is very expensive and I am doubting this is the problem. This is a safety issue and I am reading blogs and the platinum version of the Explorer seem to have issues. This could cause an accident and Ford could be liable. This issue needs to be looked at, as this should not be an issue for a car with 50k miles on it.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights became inoperable. The contact stated that the fuses were in good condition. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that a diagnostic test was needed; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

The current b-pillar trim issue that Ford hasn't remedied. In October 2025 my b-pillar broke off my car while driving, shatteringagainst the car behindme. When it did that the wiring immediately caused my liftgate to think it was open and I have not been able to access that back of my SUV since then. In order to do so a piece in the door had to be removed and I have to crawl thru the vehicle to manually find a switch to release it. This has gone on for 5 months with me being unable to use the entire back half of the vehicle. If I open it manually it risks not getting shut fully and popping open. It's ridiculous it has taken this long for a fix.

Led light issue. Passenger side low beam. Lifetime of led should be 45,000 hours or 12-15 years. It is not working. Ford needs to generate a repair also current warrantee work needs to be completed including the rear camera.

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.

Head lamp warning alerted (refers driver to drivers manual, only to say see a dealer) but no issues, both lamps were working. Took vehicle to Ford service center and they could not find a problem, we figured this could be an electronic issue with the warning, but head lamp warning became more frequent again no issues. Then while driving in the dark with headlights on the automatic function, head lamps would cycle rapidly between bright and normal when approaching another vehicle…even turning them to manual it continued to cycle researched the issue and apparently it’s a known issue with Ford. The automatic headlamp module can get wet and short out… this is a 1200. 00 repair… the headlamp is now out, and even if not on the automatic feature it still blinks when approaching oncoming traffic… these lights are bright an when approaching on coming traffic with bright lights flashing in your eyes that becomes a safety issue… yes, it is going in for repair however if it’s a known issue with Ford shouldn't it be a recall?.