Ford Issues Recall Over Brightness of Headlights on F-150

Have you noticed how many of today’s vehicles have really bright head lights? I can’t tell you how many times someone flashes their brights at me thinking I’ve got my high beams on in one of the new vehicles I review. Today’s vehicles have LEDs that just seem brighter, which is a good thing from a safety standpoint. And when you’re in a new truck, like the 2020 Ford F-150, that sits high off the ground, those LEDs can shine right in the eyes of drivers in sedans.

So it didn’t come as a surprise to me that the NHTSA has issued a compliance recall to the Ford Motor Company over the LED headlamps on new model F-150s. We now know even more about the latest F-150 recall. My colleague Marc Stern wrote about this and other recalls going on at Ford.

Safety compliance recall for select 2018-20 Ford F-150 vehicles with LED headlamps
Ford is issuing a safety compliance recall for select 2018-20 Ford F-150 vehicles with LED headlamps. When the daytime running lamps on affected vehicles are illuminated and the master lighting switch is manually rotated from the autolamp position to the headlamp-on (low-beam) position, the daytime running lamps remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamp intensity as required by federal motor vehicle safety standards.

This may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. What has been determined is that the daytime running lights and the regular headlights are staying on at full strength. As a result, the lights are much brighter than they are supposed to be and potentially blinding some oncoming drivers.

However, Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.
This action affects 166,196 vehicles in the U.S. and federal territories and 50,989 in Canada.

How To Determine If Your Ford F-150 Has a Recall
The easiest way to determine if your vehicle has any recall is to plug the VIN into the NHTSA’s website. For this specific recall, affected vehicles were built at Dearborn Truck Plant, Jan. 5, 2017, to Oct. 10, 2019, and Kansas City Assembly Plant, Jan. 25, 2017, to Oct. 10, 2019.

Dealers will update the body control module software configuration. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20C03. Local dealers are aware of the recall and will schedule your truck for the needed patch and repair.

Where To Find The Latest Ford F-150 Information
Check Torque News every day for updates on the latest information regarding the best-selling vehicle in America – Ford F-150. I will be covering the F-150 and Ford trucks regularly giving you the latest information as well as opinion pieces related to the truck. Please follow my new Twitter handle @F150writer and also my other handler @driversside. Plus follow Torque News for all the latest news on Ford and Ford F-150, including my next story on the Electric F-150 that is coming.

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.