A contaminated LED chip is the reason Ford gives for recall 26V606000, filed September 22, 2026, on certain 2025 through 2027 Ford Expedition SUVs and 2026 F-250 through F-550 Super Duty trucks. Ford estimates 41,748 vehicles are potentially affected. In RideTruth's data, the 2025 and 2026 model-year pages already list the campaign as of October 13, 2026, and this post sets it against the Expedition's recall and complaint history.
Which lights can fail, and on which trucks?
Ford's report says the headlight assemblies may contain a contaminated LED chip. NHTSA's record lists four lights that can be lost: the daytime running lights, parking lights, high beams and low beams. It also says the vehicles fail to meet the federal standard for lamps and reflectors.
| Item | What NHTSA's record says |
|---|---|
| Campaign | 26V606000, report received September 22, 2026 |
| Vehicles | Certain 2025 through 2027 Expedition; 2026 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty |
| Consequence | A loss of exterior lighting can reduce visibility and raise the risk of a crash |
| Remedy | Dealers inspect and replace the headlight assemblies as necessary, free of charge |
| Owner letters | Expected to be mailed October 26, 2026 |
| VIN search | On NHTSA.gov beginning October 26, 2026 |
| Potential population | 41,748 vehicles (Ford's estimate, all models combined) |
The 41,748 is Ford's estimate of vehicles potentially affected, and NHTSA's record repeats the same figure for every model line in the campaign. It does not say how many are Expedition and how many are Super Duty, so no Expedition-only count exists to quote. The record sets no park-it or park-outside advisory, and it does not mark the remedy as an over-the-air update.
The Super Duty trucks are in NHTSA's campaign but not in RideTruth's catalog, which lists the F-250 only for older model years. The model-year recall and complaint counts below are therefore Expedition counts only.
Six campaigns on the 2025 Expedition's list
Six campaigns, as of October 13, 2026. The 2025 model year carries more than the 2026, which lists two: 26V104000 and the headlight campaign.
| Campaign | Filed | Component (NHTSA's label in RideTruth's data, re-cased) |
|---|---|---|
| 25V198000 | Mar 28, 2025 | Engine and Engine Cooling: Engine: Oil/Lubrication |
| 25V439000 | Jun 27, 2025 | Air Bags: Frontal |
| 25V488000 | Jul 25, 2025 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Power Assist: Electric: Control Module: Software |
| 25V823000 | Dec 1, 2025 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Power Assist: Electric: Control Module |
| 26V104000 | Feb 20, 2026 | Exterior Lighting: Tail Lights |
| 26V606000 | Sep 22, 2026 | Exterior Lighting: Headlights |
One label deserves a second look. NHTSA's current API record for 26V104000 is about a towing problem. The trailer module may lose contact with the vehicle, and the record says that could mean no brake or turn signal lights on the trailer, or no trailer braking. It lists the component as Electrical System: Integrated Trailer Brake Control, not tail lights, and the fix as a software update by a dealer or over the air. The campaign spans several Ford lines; our F-150 post covers it from the pickup side.
How many complaints do Expedition owners file by model year?
Owners have filed 1,841 NHTSA complaints on the 2018 through 2027 Expedition combined, as of October 13, 2026. The 2019 model year has the most at 509; the 2025 has 36, the 2026 has 10 and the 2027 has 0.
These bars are report totals. Ford's production for each year is not in the data, and a 2018 Expedition has had far longer than a 2026 to pick up a report, so a taller bar is not evidence of a higher failure rate.
Do any 2025 complaints name lighting?
3 of the 36 complaints on the 2025 Expedition fall under Visibility & Lighting, 8.3% of the total. That group is RideTruth's bucket for exterior lighting and for visibility items such as wipers, so it is wider than headlights. The count does not say whether any of the 3 describes a failed LED chip. Driver Assistance & Speed Control is the largest group at 11 complaints (30.6%), followed by Body, Seats & Latches at 8 (22.2%). Groups overlap, because a complaint is filed under every area its owner listed.
Thirty-six complaints is a small base for any of these shares.
Will a VIN lookup show this recall today?
NHTSA's record says VINs for 26V606000 become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 26, 2026, the same day it expects Ford's letters to be mailed. A lookup run before then may come back without this campaign even if your Expedition is in it. Your VIN sits on the driver-side corner of the dashboard, visible through the windshield, and on the driver door jamb sticker, and NHTSA's recall lookup takes it.
A clean lookup before October 26 therefore does not clear a 2025 to 2027 Expedition. With the Expedition saved in your garage, opening that page looks it up again for new NHTSA recall campaigns.