Is it possible to install 2016 headlamps in a 2015?

[ike222]

hi. I have a 2015 explorer and have 2016 explorer headlights with the led low beams and i was wondering if anyone here could help me out with this since i cant just wire them up . i have a new set of 2016 headlights and also have the full harness ,i think there must be some kind of light control for them to work ,but dont know exactly what i need to buy ,im hoping someone here can give me a little insight on what i need to make this swap come true, would love to post pics if i can make this happen ....

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
Are you sure the 2016 and 2015 units are exactly the same in shape and size? The 2016 headlamps added 'Signature Lighting'.
Also, please complete your registration by adding the 'Required' "Trim Level" (Base, XLT, etc.) to your profile so it appears in the margin. That can be useful info to have at times. Thank you.

Peter

 

[ike222]

Welcome to the Forum.
Are you sure the 2016 and 2015 units are exactly the same in shape and size? The 2016 headlamps added 'Signature Lighting'.
Also, please complete your registration by adding the 'Required' "Trim Level" (Base, XLT, etc.) to your profile so it appears in the margin. That can be useful info to have at times. Thank you.

Peter

thx.. noted,and updated.. yeah same shape but im under the impression that the headlights may need a module other then the ones that come on the bottom of each light to properly make them work... so i have the headlights ,the complete harness down to the fusebox ,allthough i know i wont be needing this whole bean can of wires lol ,do you know or may know of someone that can tell me if i need some sort of light ontrol module to make this happen ?

 

[peterk9]

thx.. noted,and updated.. yeah same shape but im under the impression that the headlights may need a module other then the ones that come on the bottom of each light to properly make them work... so i have the headlights ,the complete harness down to the fusebox ,allthough i know i wont be needing this whole bean can of wires lol ,do you know or may know of someone that can tell me if i need some sort of light control module to make this happen ?

I am not familiar with any process to make this happen or do I recall anyone attempting this mod. However, there are some well informed members here that should be able to help through this process. I'm sure some of them will be along soon. Good luck.

Peter

 

[KayGee]

Is it possible to put 2016 headlamps in a 2015?

Yes, there is plenty of cargo room to put 2016 headlamps in a 2015... ;-)

On a more serious note, you are aware that the explorer received a facelift for the 2016 model year. At a minimum, I believe you will need new fenders, bumper cover, and grille. I'm not sure what mounting parts underneath changed or stayed the same.

As far as wiring them up, if you have the lights and the harness for them, you should be able to splice those harness portions into your wiring harness to get some headlight functionality. I believe the lights are self contained and don't have a separate module.

 

[peterk9]

Yes, there is plenty of cargo room to put 2016 headlamps in a 2015... ;-)

The thread title was mine in that I shortened the longer more specific one. Good catch though. (Title edited)

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

The headlight thing on a 2016+ is very cloudy... depending on market, there was an extra Headlight Control Module added. Seems to be present in non-North American markets and base USDM vehicles along with Interceptor. If the car got signature lighting at least on this side of the pond, it seems that you didn't get the HCM but the BCM certainly had to work different magic in the newer design. Don't be shocked if it's sending PWM to the "halogen" and causing issues even if you did manage to get everything to work together. Not shooting it down and I certainly can't speak from experience, but something to consider.

For my money, I'd probably just drop in a HID kit, bypass the BCM/PWM issues with a relay from the battery and call it good.

 

[ike222]

Yes, there is plenty of cargo room to put 2016 headlamps in a 2015... ;-)

On a more serious note, you are aware that the explorer received a facelift for the 2016 model year. At a minimum, I believe you will need new fenders, bumper cover, and grille. I'm not sure what mounting parts underneath changed or stayed the same.

As far as wiring them up, if you have the lights and the harness for them, you should be able to splice those harness portions into your wiring harness to get some headlight functionality. I believe the lights are self contained and don't have a separate module.

yeah i an get the led blinker on and the highbeam as well ,but as far as the led low beam and the led eyelid ,they wont light up with 12v . on the headlight plug i noticed 7 pins .. two of which are ground common,on the lower row there three pins , blinker,high beam and ground . on the upper row are four pins.,one is ground the other three did nothing when i tried to get them to light up but im sure that those wires are the ones that make the lowbeam and the eyelid light up ....the question is 12volt wouldnt light either lowbeam or eyelid so could it have something to do with the ecu ,can bus, data smh ,i install 12v accessories for a living and must say im at a paused state at the moment ,and i do not want to damage these lights trying to get them to work

 

[peterk9]

Even if you were able to get the lights to work, how do you plan to get these to fit since the headlights are completely different as is the whole front end?

Peter

 

[ike222]

Even if you were able to get the lights to work, how do you plan to get these to fit since the headlights are completely different as is the whole front end?

Peter

ill be getting the fenders and bumper

 

[ike222]

ill be getting the fenders and bumper

i got the light setup for a very good deal and figured if i can get them to work then ill get the fenders and bumpper my bro has a body shop so ill get good pricing on parts