489 of the
43,316 complaints filed about the Ford Explorer
are about the lighting —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1999.
#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)
NHTSA complaint #11762502 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11762396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The passenger headlight low beam does not work.This has been identified by an Independent service center. The Check Headlight System message shows on dashboard. Bought the car in 2023 and the headlight has not worked for 2 years. When driving at night I only have one headlight that works this poses a risk to myself and others. The entire headlight assembly must be replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11759016 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11749497 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The trunk does not open. The lift gate error message comes on. The lights stay on longer than they should and the battery is drained. This all resulted after the b pillar flew off on the high way. I have had duct tape on my car for over a year and unable to access the trunk.
NHTSA complaint #11748550 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11746612 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11744024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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?
NHTSA complaint #11742387 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Both my passenger and driver headlights have failed. I have paid to have them replaced. The drivers side has failed twice. The passenger side has failed 3 times. I have taken it to the dealership and they “fixed” the issue but it keeps coming back months or weeks later. The low beams are what is failing. The message on the dash says “check headlight assembly see manual” This is a safety risk to me and other people on the road. They have failed while driving. If I am driving early in the morning or late at night I can not see if there are no street lights. People also can’t see me coming. This is a major safety risk. I bought the car in August 2024. Headlights have failed 5 times since then. The dealership helped me with my first four failures. On this last failure, they said it is not covered under warranty and that I need to pay $3000 for the headlight. Five failures of headlights seems like a manufacturer issue and not something. I am doing on my end.
NHTSA complaint #11739255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the hazard lights and other surrounding indicator systems were inoperable. Additionally, the rearview camera displayed a blank image while reversing. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 208,974.
NHTSA complaint #11734667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11730852 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11729390 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11728822 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11728832 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11728836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11728815 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11724230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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?
NHTSA complaint #11722629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11721270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.