by Michael Gauthier
- Ford and Lincoln are recalling nearly 22,000 vehicles over a lighting issue.
- A burnt diode can cause headlights, turn signals, and taillights to fail.
- The recall impacts the 2025 Mustang, Mustang Mach-E, and Lincoln Nautilus.
With 98 recalls in less than nine months, it’s lights out on Ford quality. Unfortunately, the lights are also going out on the 2025 Mustang, Mustang Mach-E, and Lincoln Nautilus.
The latest recall involves 21,765 vehicles, which may have LED Driver Modules with a burnt diode. If they do, the headlights, daytime running lights, front position lights, and front turn signals may fail. The Nautilus takes things a step further as the failure can spread to the rear taillight, rear turn signal, and rear position light.
A majority of the recalled vehicles are Mustangs and the government said the issue was first noticed in March, when a Nautilus at the Changan Ford Hangzhou plant in China exhibited an inoperative headlight assembly during inspection. By the end of the month, an additional eight vehicles were found with similar malfunctions.
An investigation was opened and a teardown found burnt Schottky diodes in the LED Driver Modules. The root cause of the burnt diodes remains under investigation, but Ford decided to conduct a recall.
The automaker is aware of nine plant reports and eight warranty claims for the Nautilus in China. So far there haven’t been any reported cases involving the Mustang or Mustang Mach-E.
If something were to go wrong, drivers would see an “Advanced Front Lighting Feature Temporarily Unavailable” warning. The turn signal indicator on the instrument cluster would also flash fast.
Nautilus and Mustang Mach-E owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealership, where technicians will replace the right- and left-hand LED Driver Modules. Mustang owners will also need to take their cars to a dealership, but their LED Driver Modules will be inspected to see if their serial numbers necessitate replacement.