NHTSA recall 26V121000
A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.
| Published by | NHTSA (United States) |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | 26V121000 |
| Manufacturer's number | 26C12 |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Reported | 2026-03-03 |
| Owners notified | 2026-03-23 |
| Component | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS |
| Units potentially affected | 35772 |
| Part numbers | RB5T-14D067-DA, RB5T-14D067-GA |
| Report | Quarterly report 2, for 2026 quarter 2 |
|---|---|
| Filed with NHTSA | 2026-07-21 |
| Vehicles in the campaign | 35772 |
| Reported remedied | 29956 (83%) |
| Reported unreachable | 123 |
| Reported removed | 0 |
These are the manufacturer's totals for the whole campaign at the end of 2026 quarter 2, as filed with NHTSA. They do not say whether one vehicle has been remedied: check the VIN with the official lookups. The reports are from data as of 2026-10-19.
What is wrong
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."
What can happen
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.
| 2025 FORD EXPLORER | Built from 2023-11-29. |
|---|---|
| 2026 FORD EXPLORER | Built to 2025-11-23. |
A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.
Investigated as RQ21002
This recall followed 1 NHTSA investigation. An investigation is NHTSA looking into a possible defect. It is not a finding that a defect exists, and it does not say that any one vehicle is affected.
| RQ21002 | Recall query, opened 2021-08-03. Rearview Camera FMVSS 111 Noncompliance. BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA. |
|---|
From NHTSA's investigation file, as of 2026-10-19. The JSON has NHTSA's summary of each.