2020 FORD EXPLORER Exterior Lighting Problems

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.

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.

**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 ...ie: 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...

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+

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,...

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.

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

My headlights and turn signals continue to go out and come back on. Multiple people with this exact same model explorer are also having this same issue. I truly think this should be a recall with the 2020 ford explorer platinum as this is a huge safety concern. Please see linked Reddit post for proof of multiple people reporting the exact same issue. This issue has been addressed by the dealership, and I was advised that the entire headlight module would need to be replaced. My driver side was replaced under warranty and the headlight is now functioning, but my driver turn signal continuously goes out every month or so now after the replacement. This issue started mere months after I purchased this vehicle directly from the dealership brand new. Please see this attached Reddit post for multiple people with the exact same car complaining of the same issue. I...

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.

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.

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.

Kept getting a Check Headlamp System See Manual for a couple days then the headlight went out

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.

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

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.

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.

Passenger OEM headlight module has failed multiple times. Continuously goes out and comes back on, causing a great safety concern. Driver OEM was replaced under warranty (bad module) and has worked fine since. This appears to be a factory issue as I have been dealing with this since I bought the vehicle brand new.

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Low beam headlights have both went out in our second year of ownership. At 1600.00 each and 600.00 labor to replace.

Daytime running light on drivers side not functioning at all.

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

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.

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.

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.

In early 2023, I discovered micro-fractures in the side of the left headlamp assembly on my 2020 Ford Explorer ST. As the 3/36 warranty was still in effect, Ford replaced the defective headlamp. However, just a few months later, after the warranty had expired, I discovered much more severe micro-fractures in the right headlamp lens assembly. This time however, the micro-fractures are located in front of the light source, thus they are diffusing the light as it passes through the lens. There is also a fracture appearing at the lower inside corner of the assembly. The dealer attempted to get Ford to replace the second headlamp assembly, but Ford will not replace the $1800 part under warranty. The vehicle has never been in an accident and is garaged 90% of the time. Even now at over four years of ownership, the vehicle has just over 44,500 miles on the odometer....

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.

While driving my Explorer at night on an unlit road in north western New Jersey the instrument cluster in my car displayed a warning message stating, “Check Headlight System, See Manual”. I pulled over and inspected my cars exterior lights for abnormalities, found none. With the headlamp warning light still on I proceeded on my way home when approximately 10 miles further down the road my driver side low beam turned off completely drastically reducing my visibility of the road ahead of me. Making it incredibly unsafe to me and the passengers in my car. On my way home I got pulled over by a local police officer for an out headlight. I explained the issue and they let me off with a warning. I immediately brought my car to my local Ford dealership to be further inspected. They proposed that the headlamp control module was causing the issue by...

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.

Two days after purchasing the light warning alert system started coming on. CHECK SYSTEMS HEADLIGHTS WARNING comes on EVERY MONTH THEN THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT first the left them the right…Ford can’t fix the problem because they don’t know what and why this keeps happening. The lights have been replaced 4-5 times and reprogrammed. I have took it Ford dealership 7 times, and the last time I was told it can’t be fixed because Ford has to send an update for the electrical system… plus one for the back up camera going blue/black as well…..They also have to send an update program for the other warning as well….so no end to the problems to date…

My passenger side low beam Headlamp stopped working in Nov 2022. I had a "check headlamp" warning light. I took it to the dealer on 12/09/22. They stated that they found code B155A:96 requiring replacement of the LED control module, requiring part #JX7Z-13C788-L (total cost $1112.25). Headlamp was operational approx 1 week. Returned to the dealership 12/16 with a non-functioning light. They installed RT Headlamp asset, performed calibration, and adjusted horizontal position. Requiring part #MB5Z-13008-AG (total cost $1750). The headlight remained operational for approx 6 months. The "Check Headlamp" warning light has come on again and I will need to have further repair. Having an intermittently functioning or non-functioning Headlamp makes driving at night or in the rain both unsafe and illegal. The cost of this repair was not covered by warranty.

We reported the driver's side headlamp as going out intermittently on Jan 4, 2022 to the dealership (Ford of Boerne, Boerne, TX). When they could not resolve the issue, we reported the problem to Ford. The light is out mostly full time now. We first realized the problem when driving at night when it would go in and out.

Adaptive headlamp assembly on my 2020 Ford Explorer Platinum AWD has failed twice in 2-years. First, upon receiving the vehicle, the passenger side had to be replaced (dealer was unable to fix the problem, so had to replace the whole headlamp assembly which requires a complete removal of the front bumper). Now the driver side headlamp has failed - and I haven't even had the car 2-years yet (will be 2-years in a few weeks). The headlamp failure is complicated by the long lead time to get the replacement part for the whole headlamp assembly - so now I am WEEKS without being able to have a headlight and am forced to drive without it.

Smoke started coming from the passenger side visor as I was driving. There was no indication of an issue with warning messages of any kind. Of course I panicked, ran from the car and called the fire department who stated it smelled electrical when they arrived. After a week of being at the dealership, they couldn't find anything; however, 30 seconds after I got into my vehicle, I noticed the cabin lights weren't working. After returning the vehicle within an hour they found that a wire had burned out and shorted out some fuses. 2 weeks later and I still don't have my vehicle. No injuries, just scared beyond belief to have a 2020 ST start smoking!! Even if they state it is fixed, I am still scared to death to drive it after that!! I have had issues with the brakes as well. Those stopped working but apparently that...