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 in now. I-??ve had this problem back in July of 2024. The problem went away for a bit and then suddenly reappeared today, 25 March 2025.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

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.

- Candler, NC, USA

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.

- Hershey, PA, USA

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.

- Mattituck, NY, USA

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.

- Dalton, MA, USA

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.

- Hanna, IN, USA

Low beam headlights have both went out in our second year of ownership. At $1600 each and $600 labor to replace.

- Moorefield, WV, USA

Daytime running light on drivers side not functioning at all.

- Orlando, FL, USA

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

- Auburn, WA, USA

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.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

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.

- Villa Ridge, MO, USA

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.

- Naperville, IL, USA

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. My personal belief is that there is a defect in the plastic that was used to manufacture the headlamp assembly, and as such, Ford needs to replace the defective part. I have included two pictures from the original discovery and then three pictures just taken today.

- Frisco, TX, USA

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.

- Blanchester, OH, USA

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 diagnosing using their -??pin test-??. After replacing the module ($1,000) at the dealership I drove the car less than 10 miles away from the dealership and the headlamp warning light turned back on and the driver side low beam turned off once again leaving me stranded without light on the road. This cycle continued several times and Ford had no explanation as to why it-??s happening. I was sent a quote to pay full price for the repair ($2,500) because I was out of Ford-??s 36,000 mile limited warranty. A new car that leaves me without a driver side low beam on a dark road poses an incredible risk to me and my passengers as well other drivers and is unacceptable. Not only is an out headlight illegal and a ticket able offense what if there was an animals or debris on the road while I was driving with my 8 month old niece? My down the road sight is exponentially reduced because the driver side low beam is out. The car had less than 36,500 miles when this issue first occurred and it-??s been an ongoing problem ever since. An LED headlamp is supposed to be a -??lifelong-?? vehicle part and it-??s failing before the car is fully broken in.

- West Milford, NJ, USA

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-??

- Wesson , MS, USA

Driver's side headlight works intermittently.

- Chicago, IL, USA

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-??

- Scotch Plains, NJ, USA

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.

- Fairview, TN, USA

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.

- San Antonio, TX, USA