LED Turn Signal Mod | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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LED Turn Signal Mod

Mikey*TX

Well-Known Member
Joined
February 3, 2020
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Location
Liv'n in the hollow of an 'ol oak tree. ;-)
City, State
Skunk Hollow, TX
Year, Model & Trim Level
2021 ST Star White
If you have done this or, are considering doing this, take into account the following:
1) The LED replacements on the market are not DOT approved. Installation in all states (I checked) is considered an illegal lighting modification. Class C Misdemeanor level.
2) The OE bulbs are brighter. They have two filaments providing better coverage and brightness compared to aftermarket LED push in towers. LED push in towers are capped. There are no LEDs in the rearward facing dome. This reduces visibility to those behind you. A such, the intensity of the hazard flashers is drastically reduced. Both filaments are activated by the hazard button vs only one when using the turn signal lever.
3) If there is an electrical issue and Ford can trace it to the turn signal mod, your electrical warranty is flagged. I verified this with a phone call to the SW zone office in Plano, TX
4) Get rear-ended ? A random check with several ins companies elicited the following response: Any modification to the vehicle lighting that is not DOT compliant will result in a related claim being denied.
5) Least important, no hyper-flash issue to deal with.
Your vehicle, your choice. Most important, your family's safety!
Mike
 



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If you have done this or, are considering doing this, take into account the following:
1) The LED replacements on the market are not DOT approved. Installation in all states (I checked) is considered an illegal lighting modification. Class C Misdemeanor level.................................
There are no LEDs in the rearward facing dome.............................
The Manual states that ALL interior lamps on the 2020 are LED.
As far as DOT approved lighting goes, many members don't seem to care or know. The plug and play HID and LED kits installed by the members in the 5th gen Forum are also not legal for on-road use but they continue to install them and stores keep selling them.:(

Peter
 






IMG_20200325_122617.jpg
IMG_20200325_122617.jpg
Notice the ends are sealed with no LEDs in them.
 






The Manual states that ALL interior lamps on the 2020 are LED.
As far as DOT approved lighting goes, many members don't seem to care or know. The plug and play HID and LED kits installed by the members in the 5th gen Forum are also not legal for on-road use but they continue to install them and stores keep selling them.:(

Peter
Peter ...........The turn signal/hazard lamps are not interior lamps ......... They are considered exterior. Just as are the head and fog lamps. I simply posted this from the perspective of someone with 18 plus years in law enforcement. If my post saves someone grief, aggravation or, worse, I have served my lord today in a positive manner.
Mike
 






Not sure what that is or its relationship to where it's located in the interior due to the closeup. It looks like an aftermarket item. I'm aware of the turn signal/hazard lamps.

Peter
 






Those are pictures of the Sylvania LED barrel push in bulbs that replace the OE push in amber bulbs. I placed it on its side on a window sill in the breakfast nook to take the picture. Mainly so all could see the capped dome that has no LED's in it. Thus, no rearward illumination. The bulbs are in a horizontal position when secured into the taillight housing.
Mike
 






Got it.
 






If you have done this or, are considering doing this, take into account the following:
1) The LED replacements on the market are not DOT approved. Installation in all states (I checked) is considered an illegal lighting modification. Class C Misdemeanor level.
2) The OE bulbs are brighter. They have two filaments providing better coverage and brightness compared to aftermarket LED push in towers. LED push in towers are capped. There are no LEDs in the rearward facing dome. This reduces visibility to those behind you. A such, the intensity of the hazard flashers is drastically reduced. Both filaments are activated by the hazard button vs only one when using the turn signal lever.
3) If there is an electrical issue and Ford can trace it to the turn signal mod, your electrical warranty is flagged. I verified this with a phone call to the SW zone office in Plano, TX
4) Get rear-ended ? A random check with several ins companies elicited the following response: Any modification to the vehicle lighting that is not DOT compliant will result in a related claim being denied.
5) Least important, no hyper-flash issue to deal with.
Your vehicle, your choice. Most important, your family's safety!
Mike

Sorry but most of this is pure BS.
 






Sorry but most of this is pure BS.
How is that ? The LED after market bulbs are packaged with a warning about not being DOT compliant. All states have statutes regarding the use of non DOT compliant lights on public roads. Ford has the right to disallow a warranty claim if in their opinion the said modification has caused the issue. There are horror stories on the Mustang forums, F 150 forums, etc from posters that have modded their vehicle only to have Ford lock down the warranty pertaining to the problem. I suggest you speak with your insurance agent about being covered if you make an illegal modification to your vehicles lights.
 






How is that ? The LED after market bulbs are packaged with a warning about not being DOT compliant. All states have statutes regarding the use of non DOT compliant lights on public roads. Ford has the right to disallow a warranty claim if in their opinion the said modification has caused the issue. There are horror stories on the Mustang forums, F 150 forums, etc from posters that have modded their vehicle only to have Ford lock down the warranty pertaining to the problem. I suggest you speak with your insurance agent about being covered if you make an illegal modification to your vehicles lights.
What issue are these bulbs going to cause that would void a Ford warranty? What warning is packaged with the bulbs? I don’t know anyone on this forum who has installed any bulb that looks like the ones you posted.
 






SYLVANIA_046135319594Primary.jpeg
Notice the packaging states in red "For Off Road use only" This is the aftermarket LED keyed replacement for the 3757A filiment type bulb that is OE on the Explorer. They do not meet DOT requirements for street use.
 






Guess after my new ST is set up by the dealer, I'll go by either Auto Zone or O'Reilly and take a picture of the packaging.
 






Guess after my new ST is set up by the dealer, I'll go by either Auto Zone or O'Reilly and take a picture of the packaging.
What issues would these bulbs cause that would void a Ford warranty? You skipped over that question. Plus, those aren’t the bulbs you posted earlier. You searched the internet until you found something that matched your narrative.
 






That is why I said I will stop by auto parts and take a picture of the packaging. Sylvania has two different LED bulbs with the keyed base that matches that of the glass, twin filament OE bulb. If necessary, I will stop by O'Reilly auto parts to make sure I am able to obtain pictures of the packaging for both types of LED bulbs. As for the warranty, installing a noncompliant part can open a pandora's box when it comes to the factory warranty. If Ford decides the installation of these LED bulbs created an issue with the CANbus system, have you got the funds to fight Ford in court ? Highly doubtful.
 






That is why I said I will stop by auto parts and take a picture of the packaging. Sylvania has two different LED bulbs with the keyed base that matches that of the glass, twin filament OE bulb. If necessary, I will stop by O'Reilly auto parts to make sure I am able to obtain pictures of the packaging for both types of LED bulbs. As for the warranty, installing a noncompliant part can open a pandora's box when it comes to the factory warranty. If Ford decides the installation of these LED bulbs created an issue with the CANbus system, have you got the funds to fight Ford in court ? Highly doubtful.
It’s a bulb. You plug them in and they light up. At some point they’ll burnout. Go buy another. They aren’t going to cause any problems with the Canbus.
 












LED's are diodes. They don't burn out like a filament bulb.
They still burn out, the mechanical type of failure is pretty irrelevant. Also, I’m sure there are aftermarket LEDs that are brighter than the stock turn/corner lights.

I’m sure this voids your warranty no more than your totally necessary auto-start-stop defeat.
 






Hell, even with the auto start-stop module, I had three dealers refuse to install it based on conflict with the Ford franchise agreement. Let's face it, as a consumer, we are at the mercy of the corporate litigation lawyers. That is how one half of my family made their millions. Me, I took a different path after blowing out of 2nd yr Stanford Law......... Joined the Marine Corps. The rest is history. :drunk:
Mike
 






I also don’t believe number 4 is true, either. I think it falls along the commonly believed myth that if you leave your keys in the car, and it’s stolen, it’s not covered.
 



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I also don’t believe number 4 is true, either. I think it falls along the commonly believed myth that if you leave your keys in the car, and it’s stolen, it’s not covered.
I’m actually over here laughing at all of the points. Who has time to “make” all of these calls?
 






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