Component Affected: Exterior Lighting: Daytime Running Lights / Headlight Assembly Description of Defect and Safety Risk: The driver-side integrated LED Daytime Running Light (DRL) failed completely due to an internal component/diode malfunction within the factory-sealed headlight housing. This is a premature component failure at only 79,800 miles and is a widely documented systemic defect across this model year's F-Series production run. This issue constitutes a significant safety hazard rather than a standard wear-and-tear maintenance item. Because the LED system is an engineered, hermetically sealed assembly, it cannot be serviced by replacing a simple bulb. The failure permanently reduces the vehicle's forward visibility profile to oncoming traffic during daytime hours and compromises the driver's intent to signal presence. I request that the federal safety agency investigate this systemic component failure as a safety-related defect warranting a manufacturer recall, rather than classifying it as routine light bulb degradation.
Ford F-150 headlights problems
321 of the 38,375 owner complaints about the Ford F-150 describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 321
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,700
- typical mileage
- 42,000
By model year
Often reported together
Wipers 11Fire or smoke 8Jerking 7Overheating 6Adaptive cruise 6Stalling 5Loss of power 5ABS 5
Trouble codes mentioned
C1963 1C1278 1
What owners say
The factory daytime running light (DRL) LED signature strip on the front headlight assembly failed prematurely and went completely dark. Because the DRL is integrated into a sealed headlight unit, the individual lighting component cannot be repaired or serviced. Replacing the single failed DRL requires discarding and replacing the entire headlight assembly at an out-of-pocket cost exceeding $1,000 to $1,500.
Daytime running LED quad headlight system. the vertical led on the front passenger front headlights is out. Dealer said cost is $2000.00 to fix. have to replace whole assembly.
A segment of the daytime running lights went out at 60,000 miles. Another segment went out at approximately 70,000 miles. I have hundreds of other trucks with the LED reflector headlights have DRL segments out.
My daytime running light has burned out. I also see a lot of other f150 around town with the same exact problem. I also don’t want to get stopped from the police for having a bulb burned out. I have researched this problem and you can’t fix it unless you buy a whole brand new headlight assembly for $1500.
I have noticed that my turn signal lights work sometimes, and sometimes they give me the rapid-fire warning light indicating that one of them is out (front or back). The outage may or may not last the entire duration of when the turn signal is deployed - sometimes it fixes itself, and other times it remains out. Sometimes, it even fixes itself and goes back out in the same signal instance. Additionally, I have noticed that one or both of the headlights will sometimes fail. I have learned to turn on the fog lights in order to ensure some sort of light remains working to illuminate my path forward. I've not yet experienced the fog lights going out as they seem to be unaffected by the intermittent outages. If it wasn't for this, I would have stopped driving at night altogether. I have already begun limiting my time on the road after dark, and attempting to handle anything that requires transportation earlier in the day. Please feel free to reach out with any additional questions, as I'd like to ensure this gets resolved for myself and any others ASAP!
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the LED daytime running lights was flashing quickly before burning out. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH and then stopped at an intersection, another driver informed the contact that the passenger's side headlight was flashing quickly. The contact towed the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the passenger's side headlight assembly was replaced under warranty. The dealer informed the contact that the driver's side headlight might fail as well. The contact stated that the failure also occurred on the driver's side. Upon inspection, the contact became aware of a burning plastic odor coming from the headlights. Upon researching the failure online, the contact learned that the failure resulted from the headlights overheating and melting. The manufacturer was notified of the recent failure but denied coverage because the vehicle had exceeded 100,000 miles. The dealer advised the contact to report the second failure to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Daytime Running Light in the headlight assembly overheated and stopped working. Thousands of 2021-2023 F150 owners have had the same issue. This is clearly a mass scale manufacturer known defect and Ford already tried sending an update to lower the LED brightness but the issue still happens.
My F 150 is 2022 Xlt my headlights are going bad already I’ve taken it to the dealership and said both complete headlight assembly need replaced to the tone of 4.000 dollars
Led headlight drl strip turned blue on one side. Have seen many with this issue in the led module ballast. Safety concern because its a common running light issue that hinders people from seeing the vehicle as easily.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) may remain fully bright instead of dimming to parking lamps as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Daytime Running Lamps that do not dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- ,Dealers will reprogram the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C28. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on on July 6, 2026.
Recall number 26V373000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: tail lights
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 F-150, 2022-2026 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, Maverick, 2024-2026 Ranger, 2023-2026 F-600 SD, 2022-2027 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, and 2026 E-Transit vehicles. When towing a trailer, the integrated trailer module (ITRM) may lose communication with the vehicle, possibly causing a loss of brake and turn signal lights, or a loss of brake function. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Trailer lights or brakes that do not function can reduce the driver’s ability to control the trailer and decrease the trailers visibility to other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- The integrated trailer 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 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning March 17, 2026.
Recall number 26V104000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 F-150 vehicles that were repaired incorrectly under recall 22V686. The parking lights may flicker when the headlights are activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Flickering parking lights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the light emitting diode control module and update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 12, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C37.
Recall number 25V517000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 F-150 vehicles that were repaired incorrectly under recalls 22V686 and 23V802. The parking lights may flicker when the headlights are activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Flickering parking lights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the light emitting diode control module and update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 20, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C38.
Recall number 25V515000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: back up lights
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 vehicles equipped with the Onboard Scales feature that were repaired incorrectly under recall 24V443. An over-the-air software update to the body control module (BCM) may have disabled both reverse lights.
- Risk
- Inoperative reverse lights may fail to alert others that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 27, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S57.
Recall number 25V348000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 F-150 vehicles. The parking lights may flicker when the headlights are activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Flickering parking lights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the LED Driver module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C30. These vehicles were previously recalled for this same issue under 22V‑686 and will need to have the new remedy performed.
Recall number 24V682000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 F-150 vehicles. The parking lights may flicker when the headlights are activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Flickering parking lights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the LED driver module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C36. Vehicles with high series headlamps previously recalled under recall number 22V‑686 that received an incomplete remedy, or have not yet been repaired, will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 23V802000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022 F-150 vehicles. The parking lights may flicker when the headlights are activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Flickering parking lights can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the LED Driver module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22C22.
Recall number 22V686000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from the "Autolamps" switch position to "Headlamps On." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.
Recall number 20V097000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 F-150 vehicles manufactured March 1, 2014, to March 13, 2014. The affected vehicles may have a brake pedal position switch that is improperly adjusted. As a result, the brake lights may illuminate with a delay or not at all. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- If the brake lights fail to illuminate, or illuminate after a delay, there is an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford has notified owners, and dealers will adjust the brake pedal position switch, free of charge. The recall began on November 24, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14C09. Note: Until the vehicle has been remedied, owners are advised not to use their cruise control system.
Recall number 14V709000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-150 headlights
Which Ford F-150 years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (75 complaints), 2022 (34 complaints) and 2024 (30 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Ford F-150?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,700 (median of 36 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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