Production Challenges
Automotive manufacturing is one of the most challenging forms of assembly. This is an industry with (almost) zero tolerance for building quality products that give customers the best their money can buy.
There are some instances, though, where quality control doesn’t catch specific build quality issues that might sound minor at first but could actually cause more hassle and damage than initially thought.
Lincoln
Flashing Lights
According to the Safety Recall Report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there is a potential issue with the rear lightbar installed on the 2025 Lincoln Navigator.
The report claims that “Affected vehicles are equipped with a rear lightbar that may have a cracked outer lens and/or weld track. This condition can allow water intrusion, leading to inoperative or flickering backup lamps. Vehicles with malfunctioning backup lamps fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108.”
Of note, Lincoln Navigators built from Aug 06, 2025, to December 26, 2025, are included in the recall, though only 1,105 units are affected. Furthermore, the report says that the affected vehicles were not produced in VIN order.
A more descriptive cause for the malfunction is listed as, “Expendable cardboard dunnage was used for shipping certain rear lightbar assemblies. Some of the dunnage was damaged in transit during shipping and receiving, potentially causing cracks in the outer lens and/or weld track that allow water intrusion.”
Awareness and Safety Issues
Vehicles with inoperative or flickering rear lamps can pose a safety issue, reducing awareness among other drivers of the affected vehicle, particularly when the driver wants to put the car in reverse. Another (potential) problem is that flashing lights can trigger seizures in certain motorists, posing a significant safety hazard on the road.
This is the third recall listed for the 2025 model year of the Lincoln Navigator. In July, a small number of 2025 Navigators had passenger airbags that were incorrectly manufactured and could deploy with too much force. Just a month later, in August, another advisory came out stating that some Navigators were recalled for a potential loss of power-brake assist due to a faulty Electronic Brake Booster (EBB) module.
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