Ford is recalling 41,748 vehicles in the United States — 2025-2027 Expedition SUVs and 2026 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks — over exterior lighting failures, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notice filed Sept. 22. Top Class Actions reports the LED chips in the headlamp assemblies may have been contaminated at the chip supplier's facility, and Super Duty trucks can lose daytime running lamps, parking lamps, low beams or high beams, while Expeditions can lose low or high beams.

The recall stands out because the root cause isn't a design flaw at Ford but contamination at a chip supplier, spreading one defect across two very different product lines at once. Top Class Actions notes Ford estimates just 1% of the recalled vehicles carry the defect, yet the potential consequence is stark: the recall notice states inoperable exterior lighting can reduce the driver's visibility or make the vehicle less visible to others, increasing the risk of a crash. Ford tells regulators it has logged six warranty claims and six field reports but no accidents or injuries.

The Ford action lands amid heavy recall and investigation activity across the industry. According to The Times of India, NHTSA has been examining 22 reports of Waymo robotaxis behaving unexpectedly, including 17 collisions, and Waymo recalled 672 driverless vehicles after one struck a utility pole in Phoenix, fitting software and mapping updates so the cars treat poles as a hard road edge. Delaware Online adds that GM is separately recalling 29,347 Cadillac OPTIQs over window obstruction detection and older Silverados and Sierras over roof rail air bag inflators.

Owners don't have to pay for the fix. Top Class Actions reports dealers will inspect both headlamp assemblies and replace any that fail at no charge, with dealers notified between Oct. 26 and 30 and owner letters mailed Nov. 6 to 13; VINs become searchable in NHTSA's recall database on Oct. 26. Delaware Online lists owner notification letters around Oct. 26 and Ford's customer service line at 1-866-436-7332. Ford says it is not currently facing legal action over the recall, though Top Class Actions tracks such cases because recalls sometimes lead to class action lawsuits.