Ford Expedition & Super Duty Headlight Recall (26C43): Your California Lemon Law Rights

Recall 26V606000 (Ford reference 26C43) covers 41,748 Ford vehicles — 2025 through 2027 Expedition SUVs and 2026 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks — whose headlight assemblies may contain a contaminated LED chip. The contamination can cause a loss of daytime running lights, parking lights, high beams or low beams. NHTSA cites Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, which governs required lighting, and records the consequence as reduced visibility and increased crash risk.

What the recall covers

Ford reported recall 26V606000 to NHTSA on September 22, 2026. It covers 41,748 vehicles: model-year 2025, 2026 and 2027 Ford Expedition SUVs, and model-year 2026 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks. It is separate from earlier 2026 Ford campaigns affecting the same nameplates, including the trailer-module recall 26V104000. NHTSA classifies the component as exterior lighting — headlights.

What actually goes wrong

The headlight assemblies may contain an LED chip that was contaminated. Contamination inside an LED package can degrade the light output or cause the chip to fail, which is why NHTSA records a possible loss of daytime running lights, parking lights, high beams or low beams. Because the affected function can vary, owners may notice something subtle — one side dimmer than the other, a lamp that flickers, a daytime running light that is missing — rather than a complete blackout.

Why it is a federal safety standard issue

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 requires a vehicle's lighting to work. NHTSA's record cites the standard, which means the problem is not just inconvenient; it is a failure of required safety equipment. That distinction matters later if a vehicle keeps coming back with the same lamp failure.

What the fix is

Dealers will inspect the headlight assemblies and replace them, free of charge. Headlight assemblies on these trucks and SUVs are expensive parts, which is why it is worth asking whether an assembly you were quoted for is covered before paying for it. The remedy involves a part replacement, so there should be a repair order.

Does this make it a lemon?

A headlight assembly replaced once and working afterward is generally an ordinary recall. The cases that carry weight are the ones where the lights fail again after the replacement, where the vehicle has had repeated visits for the same lighting fault, or where the headlight failure is one of several unresolved defects on a new Expedition or Super Duty. Headlight failure at night is also a safety defect, which shortens the number of repair attempts California law looks for.

How a California buyback works

Under California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a vehicle may qualify as a lemon if it has a warranty-covered defect that substantially impairs its use, value or safety and Ford Motor Company or its authorized dealers cannot repair it after a reasonable number of attempts — or if it has been out of service for warranty repairs for more than 30 cumulative days. A defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven is held to a shorter standard: at least two repair attempts rather than four. If a claim succeeds, the manufacturer pays your attorney fees, so a consultation costs nothing out of pocket. Time limits apply and they depend on the vehicle and the manufacturer, so it is worth asking early rather than late.

Beyond the recall: Is my Expedition or Super Duty a lemon?

These are among the most expensive vehicles Ford sells, and buyers reasonably expect them to be reliable. Repeated dealer visits for infotainment faults, driver-assist and camera problems, electrical gremlins, air-suspension or transmission complaints are the pattern that builds a claim. Keep a log of every visit and the number of days the vehicle was in the shop.

What to do next

Check your VIN, complete the free repair, and keep every document. If the problem comes back, or your Ford has other defects that keep returning to the shop, Mousavi Law Firm can review it at no cost — call 844-MOUSAVI.