NHTSA Campaign 26V121000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
NHTSA campaign 26V121000 covers 1 year-make-model version listed here and concerns the exterior lighting: headlights. The repair is free.
Ford Motor Company filed the report for 26V121000 with NHTSA on March 3, 2026; NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation influenced the recall.
For 26V121000, NHTSA lists up to 35,772 potentially affected vehicles.
The 26V121000 report reached NHTSA 3 months after the last affected vehicle was built.
Owner notification letters for 26V121000 were scheduled from March 23, 2026, 20 days after the report.
26V121000 covers 1 model from Ford, model years 2025.
By potentially affected vehicles, 26V121000 ranks 222 of 582 Ford Motor Company recalls on this site.
Besides 26V121000, Ford Motor Company has 29 other recalls on the exterior lighting on this site; the one before 26V121000 was 26V025000, reported on January 21, 2026.
What this recall covers
- 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 fix
- 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.
Reported March 3, 2026
Vehicles covered by 26V121000 (1)
Ford (1)
Being on this list means your year, make and model fall inside campaign 26V121000, not that your own vehicle does: a campaign covers a range of VINs. A VIN check on NHTSA's lookup shows whether it is.
Newest record on this page: March 3, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted