NHTSA Complaint #10790418 — 2014 FORD EXPLORER

THE HEADLIGHTS ON THE 2014 FORD EXPLORER DO NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD WHEN TURNING, ESP TO THE RIGHT. THE DRIVER TURNS INTO DARKNESS. THEREFORE IF YOU ARE TURNING RIGHT AT NIGHT, THE DRIVER CAN NOT DETERMINE IF A PEDESTRIAN IS IN A CROSSWALK OR IF THE LANE HE/SHE IS TURNING INTO IS OBSTRUCTED OR COMPROMISED IN ANY WAY. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE SINCE I GOT IT BUT I WAS ABLE TO LIMIT MY NIGHT TIME DRIVING UNTIL RECENTLY. NOW I HAVE COME TO REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THE INABILITY TO SEE INTO THE TURNS YOU ARE MAKING IS. IN OCTOBER 2015, I WAS TURNING RIGHT ON TO A BUSY STATE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT. BECAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD THROUGH THE TURN, I COULD NOT SEE WHERE MY LANE WAS, OVERESTIMATED THE DISTANCE AND THEN REALIZED AS I STRAIGHTENED THE VEHICLE THAT I WAS IN THE LANE OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC TRAVELING AT 60 MPH FROM A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 1/4 MILE! IF I HAD NOT QUICKLY MOVED INTO THE CORRECT LANE, MANY PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR KILLED. THIS INCIDENT PROMPTED ME TO REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THESE HEADLIGHTS ARE AND TO FORMALLY REPORT THE PROBLEM HERE AND TO THE FORD CO. AFTER THIS INCIDENT,I TOOK MY EXPLORER TO MY FORD DEALER WHO CHECKED THE HEADLIGHTS AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS AN "ENGINEERING/DESIGN FLAW" THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT COULD NOT FIX. I THEN FILED A SAFETY COMPLAINT WITH THE FORD CO. A REPRESENTATIVE CALLED ME WITHIN 48 HRS. SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE HAD TALKED TO MY FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHO TOLD HER THAT THERE WAS A HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION PROBLEM. SHE ALSO STATED THAT AS OF THIS TIME, FORD CONSIDERS THE HEADLIGHTS TO BE WORKING WITHIN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL. SHE STATED THAT I NEEDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT HERE AND THAT FORD WOULD NOT CONSIDER THIS A PROBLEM UNTIL ENOUGH PEOPLE FILE COMPLAINTS THROUGH YOUR AGENCY AND THE FORD CO.. I AM FEARFUL THAT I WILL INJURE OR KILL SOMEONE BEFORE THIS IS REMEDIED.