The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer vehicles. The Dynamic Bending Light (DBL) system software may cause the passenger-side headlight to turn in the wrong direction when driving through curves in the road. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
A headlight that turns incorrectly can result in increased glare to other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
The headlight control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 23, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C12. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 5, 2026.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2025, 2026 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2025 | 107 | 20 |
| Ford Explorer | 2026 | 42 | 14 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2026
32 of the 666 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2026 concerned the exterior lighting; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 26V632000 1 Oct 2026 | Daimler Trucks North America, LLC |
| 26V606000 22 Sept 2026 | Ford Motor Company |
| 26V513000 6 Aug 2026 | Volvo Trucks North America |
| 26V515000 6 Aug 2026 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 26V508000 5 Aug 2026 | Rivian Automotive, LLC |
| 26V507000 4 Aug 2026 | Tesla, Inc. |
| 26V484000 27 Jul 2026 | Jayco, Inc. |
| 26V486000 27 Jul 2026 | Foretravel, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2026