Ford Recalls More Than 210,000 Explorers and Lincoln Aviators for Trailer Light Issues
The Explorer and Aviator are not the first Fords you think about for towing trailers, but owners need to be aware of this and other potential problems, regardless.
Justin BannerWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerManufacturerPhotographerSep 03, 2025
001 2025 Ford Explorer ST
Ford has another recall. This time, it’s for 2025 models of the Ford Explorer, the Police Interceptor Utility that’s based off the Explorer, and the 2025 Lincoln Aviator. While not the first Fords you think about when it comes to towing, they can pull up to 5,000 pounds, and these SUVs might experience an issue while hooked to a trailer. This is large recall that affects more than 210,000 vehicles spread across the three models but only impacts about 1 percent of the total produced.
Overall, this has been an ever-present story for 2025. If there has been a sizable recall, you usually see it tied to a Blue Oval product. The issue this time is that in some cases, when you hook up a trailer to one of these vehicles, the trailer lights will not work, and you might see a trailer-error message on your dashboard. While you would rightly inspect your trailer and the related wiring, it turns out there is a potentially defective Body Control Module (BCM) that the trailer light signals come from. BCMC, as Ford calls it, is built by Aptiv Services and came from its production facility with an improperly soldered printed circuit board. Although you might not tow, you might also experience inoperative power windows or mirrors, or the HVAC might blow warm air, among other things, such as the USB charger not working, glove box light going out, or even the horn not beeping when you hit the alarm function.
001 2025 Lincoln Aviator Reserve AWD
The interesting part is, if your Explorer or Aviator has reached 9,000 miles, it’s entirely possible your BCMC is fine. According to Ford, the statistical analysis by its “Six Sigma Black Belt team” shows that mileage number to be the “OK” point (our wording here) and that your Explorer or Aviator will continue to work with your trailer without issue. Even so, it might still be a good idea to bring it in even if it has covered more than 9,000 miles, as your Ford or Lincoln tech will inspect the BCMC and replace it with a functional one if needed, and at no charge as part of the recall. Explorers, Aviators, and Police Interceptor Utility models with less than 9,000 miles will have the BCMC replaced regardless of its verified condition.
2025 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor 17
Explorer and Aviator owners should begin seeing recall notices beginning on October 13, but there is one catch: The replacement BCMC will only become available between March 31 and April 3, 2026. We think it’s a safe bit of insurance to not tow anything between now and the time Ford will have a replacement BCMC available if your Explorer or Aviator is short of the 9,000-mile target. You should still get your vehicle inspected per the recall when you receive the notice and get it scheduled for the replacement part to reduce the time it could take once the part is available.
Justin Banner
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he’s had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He’s best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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