The Recall Desk
HighNHTSA·26V121000·Announced 2026-03-03

[pending] 2025 FORD EXPLORER

Pending LLM rewrite. Source: NHTSA 26V121000.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: Pending LLM scoring against the rubric.

Plain-English summary

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."

A headlight that turns incorrectly can result in increased glare to other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

The recalled product

Product
2025 FORD EXPLORER
Brand
FORD
Manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Affected units
35,772

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (1)

  • EXPLORER

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.