Ford is recalling 41,748 vehicles in the U.S. over a lighting defect that could cause exterior lights to become inoperative, reducing visibility in dark conditions. The recall covers the full-size Expedition SUV and several F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks, with six warranty claims reported so far and no related accidents.
Ford Lighting Recall Covers Five Super Duty Models
The new Ford recall was published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrative (NHTSA) website. The affected vehicles include:
- 2025-2027 Ford Expedition — 13,298 units
- 2026 Ford F-250 — 17,512 units
- 2026 Ford F-350 — 10,295 units
- 2026 Ford F-450 — 523 units
- 2026 Ford F-550 — 120 units
According to the recall report, the headlight assemblies may contain a contaminated LED chip. “LED chips in headlamp assemblies may have been exposed to contamination at the chip supplier’s manufacturing facility,” the report states.
The condition can cause the daytime running lights, parking lights, low beams and high beams to become inoperative. In some cases, the lights may continue working but provide diminished illumination.
A dashboard indicator light will illuminate if the low and/or high beams stop working. The issue can affect vehicles equipped with either LED reflector or LED projector headlights.
What Ford Owners Should Do
Ford will mail remedy notification letters to owners between November 6, 2026, and November 13, 2026. Beginning October 26, 2026, owners will be able to search their vehicle identification numbers on the NHTSA website to determine whether their vehicle is included in the recall.
Affected owners will need to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer for an inspection. If the inspection fails, the headlamps will be replaced at no cost to vehicle owners.
While no other advisory has been issued, owners should take care when driving at night because the headlights may fail at any stage.
Customers seeking more information can contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Ford Continues Efforts to Improve Quality
The latest recall adds to Ford’s total of 78 recalls this year. At the same time, the automaker has made strides in identifying quality issues earlier.
Ford hired more than 350 technical specialists as part of a strategy that helped the company rank as the best mass-market brand in this year’s JD Power Initial Quality Study. Three years ago, Ford ranked 23rd.
“There was a recognition as we were struggling through our quality performance several years ago that something needed to change,” Charles Poon, Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, said in an interview with Automotive News.
“We were not effectively solving problems, and we were not effectively preventing problems. There’s been hundreds of corrections, improvements, I would say, in our designs even before the first part is even produced, going through this process. We’re starting to see the payoffs of that occur right now.”
Although the Expedition and Super Duty lighting issue was not identified before production, Ford traced the root cause before an overwhelming number of vehicles were affected.
