Exterior Lighting Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

Issues with headlight housing unit getting moisture in it causing lights to malfunction. Driver headlight won't work and passenger headlight will turn off while driving then back on and off again. It does this continously at random making it dangerous for myself and other drivers at night. I've spoke with Ford explaining there is a recall for some 2016 models but not one under my VIN so they won't fix it since it's not. I'm hoping the recall can be extended to cover my VIN.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

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.

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?.

This vehicle has gone through 5 headlight bulbs in the last year. 3 were on the driver side. 2 on the passenger side. Bulbs will last only 3 to 6 months. No damage seen to either headlight assembly and not electrical short can be found. Date listed is last replacement for driver side.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

Failure break systems, failure break systems.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

At a stop light and all of the power in the vehicle went out and Explorer would not start. Hazards would not turn on and doors (besides driver door) would not unlock. Got out of the vehicle to try the fob and white smoke came billowing out from engine. Fire department and police were called. No warning lights or messages were seen on vehicle. Vehicle only has 10k miles on it. Vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostics.

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The vehicle was sold to me by “buffalo auto sales 2 at 3012 spencer hwy pasadena, TX 77504 on [xxx]. They violated the dtpa and all employees failed to disclose the vehicle had dozens of major safety issues with two open safety recalls. These safety issues include major abs issues and failures, power steering/drivetrain, front end passenger wheel & both rear end wheel failures within the mechanisms such as control arms, tie rods inner and outer & even one within the wheel component that was dangerously bent. The headlight pigtails are torched. These couldn’t even be fixed with even replacement oem parts/Ford dealership parts and Ford dealership expertise. My safety, my children’s safety, family and passengers were all at risk multiple times over the past three weeks. Every time on the highway or local roads not being able to sustain maximum speeds over 20- 40 mph because touching the gas even after a red light would cause the engine to hesitate to turn or stutter. This caused me multiple trips back to buffalo auto sales 2 and multiple mechanics even multiple Ford dealerships. On September 12th 2024, I discussed these severe safety issues with buffalo auto sales 2, my salesman originally offered to place me into another vehicle, give me back my large cash deposit, or “attempt to fix the vehicle”. The manager immediately refused to do the right thing and claim to “fix the vehicle himself”. . However when I asked if the manager jeff has experience as a mechanic he replied he does not have mechanic experience. That day they claim to have “fixed” the abs problem, and in turn the vehicle was still shaking while in motion at any speed. Even after I thought Ford service could fix the tie rod recall, that still did not work because the rear was still shaking. I had tire experts and mechanics even change front tires, and do an alignment on September 30th 2024. . The vehicle is still shaking dangerously while in motion. Warnings on are abs, chk engine & tire pressure lights. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of in.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Explorer 🔎.

An alert often shows up on the dashboard "check headlamp system. See manual". This is occasionally associated with one headlamp not working. This happens on and off. The alert spontaneously turns on, may stay for days or weeks and then spontaneously turns off. Ford dealership service were unable to fix this problem. This has happened multiple times since we purchased the car.

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

Cabin light does not turn off, it could drain car battery, thereby causing a loss of power and a accident. . . Did not notice this untill car was brought to dealership,beiner. They pointed out. Want alot to fix.

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

Headlight went out due to water intrusion on plug and module.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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….

Driver's side headlight works intermittently.

The head light is intermittent. Sometimes if I drive it works fine, other times the main beam is out and the car displays a notification that says “check owner manual”. It’s not safe if I never know when my head light will work or decide to not work.

Driver's side a-pillar trim fell off while driving at highway speed.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side headlight intermittently failed to illuminate with the "check headlamp system see owner’s manual" message displayed on the instrument panel. The failure persisted, and the driver’s side headlight also failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was given an estimate for the repair. The contact decided to replace both front headlight modules which corrected the failure; however, the warning message remained on the instrument panel. A week later, the driver’s side headlight failed to illuminate as needed, after which the passenger’s side headlight also failed to operate as designed. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

Headlamps stay lit even in auto lamp mode. Indicator on the dial does not display which mode or setting the lights are in. This has occurred numerous times and seems to have increased frequency.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.