Skip to content
Exterior lightingPart report

2020 Ford Explorer Exterior lighting Problems

Complaints
56about this part
Share
4%of 1,249 total for the year
Median mileage
88,500miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 56 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2020 Ford Explorer, 4% of the 1,249 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 88,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“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”

NHTSA complaint #11664053, filed 2025-05

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11678444, filed 2025-08

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11707189, filed 2025-12

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11601772, filed 2024-07

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11661853, filed 2025-05

Related service bulletins

Exterior lighting: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202555%
202322%
202252%
202182%
2020564%
201841%
2017121%
201660%
2015171%
2014251%
2013251%
201261%
201161%
201022%
2008128%
200731%
200610%
200551%
200471%
200361%
2002191%
200192%
2000263%
1999463%
1998382%
1997201%
1996151%
1995162%
199491%
199371%
199230%
199161%

Other parts of the 2020 Ford Explorer

Transmission and drivetrain
504 complaints
Other or unknown
214 complaints
Electrical system
188 complaints
Engine
117 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
104 complaints
Brakes
88 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
72 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
70 complaints
Body and structure
46 complaints
Fuel system
42 complaints
Seats
41 complaints
Suspension
36 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2020 Ford Explorer

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology