The cost for replacing the rear LED brake light is in excess of $400. I can't afford it. I am a senior citizen on social security and my wife is disabled. We have a very meager and fixed income. This is an outrageous repair cost for something that should be no more than $20. They should have designed the rear tail light panel so that individual bulbs could be replaced inexpensively since burned out bulbs can be expected to occur in the normal life of a car. I should not have to replace an entire light assembly just to get one bulb replaced. Whoever designed/approved this design sure didn't think this one through. Ford should offer to replace faulty tail light assemblies at a fraction of the current cost or better yet issue a TSB for repair at their expense.

Here is the complaint I filed at NHTSA:

On December 24, 2014, at approximately 9:00pm, I was pulled over by a a police officer who advised me that my passenger side brake light was not working and in fact was staying on all the time. After researching this problem I have found that many, many owners have this same issue yet Ford/Mercury has not recalled the affected part. Obviously this is a potential hazard as drivers behind me may be confused when looking at my brake lights but not seeing a change. Also, I assume that this will affect my vehicle passing inspection in my state. Apparently this part costs over $400.00 to replace and many people cannot afford this expenditure.

I LOOKED UP ON THE INTERNET ABOUT HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS NOT JUST A BULB REPLACEMENT. IT IS A WHOLE "LED" MODULE REPLACEMENT THAT COSTS

$400.00 PER SIDE TO REPLACE AND PROBABLY THE OTHER SIDE WILL FAIL SOON AS WELL. ON YOUR WEB SITE THERE IS ALREADY OVER 35 COMPLAINTS, NOT TO SAY ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM AND NEVER SAID ANYTHING TO NHTSA.

I VIEW THIS AS A VERY SOLID SAFETY COMPLAINT AS I HAVE WORKED IN THE SAFETY OFFICE OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR 25 YEARS BEFORE RETIRING AND WOULD ABSOLUTELY CLASSIFY THIS AS A SAFETY ITEM WORTH FORCING THE DEALERS TO FIX AT THE COMPANY'S EXPENSE.

I WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE IN TODAY AND WILL SEE WHAT THE DEALER HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE REPAIR.

If you have this same problem, before doing anything else, file a complaint with the NHTSA at http://www.nhtsa.gov/. I discovered the same problem 3 weeks ago when taking my Milan for its first ever inspection. To my surprise, it failed due to defective brake lights. Like most it is barely out of warranty. Probably been happening without my knowledge for months. Stealer quotes $1100 to fix both sides. Noticed on many forums that Ford will help you if you're a loyal Ford owner. I've owned Fords my entire adult life starting with a 1971 Pinto when I was 18. I'm now 60. Maintained all my vehicles religiously and kept them for a long time. Also owned 1981 Lincoln Continental, 1985 Cougar, 1985 Ranger, 1997 Grand Marquis and now 2010 Milan. When I called Ford they told me they wouldn't be able to help me because my Customer Loyalty rating was too low! What a crock. I contacted the local Philadelphia CBS News affiliate who does a regular segment called "3 On Your Side". The reporter is trying to help me but said that there are only 57 reports of this defect on the NHTSA site. Hoping he has more luck with Ford than I did. I asked the Stealer today if i pay the $1100 how long the warranty would be on the new lights. They said 2 years! I found the lights on 1AAUTO.com for $639 for the pair, with a LIFETIME warranty. If I don't have any luck with CBS I'll probably get them from 1aauto and install myself, an easy job. One caution: if Ford ever does issue a recall I don't know if they'll reimburse you if you bought aftermarket parts instead of paying them a country ransom for marked up parts and labor. So you pays your money and you takes your chance.

At different times people reported my tail lights don't work at all or have 2 to 4 of the LED lights working. The car was just past the warranty and only had 16,000 miles. Replacement is over $400 and it appears there is no guarantee that the replacement panels will be any better than these.

If I could find an aftermarket, non-Ford part I would do that. My dealer won't cover it, but said Ford has put $20 into my service account with them. Great. I will be reporting it to NHTSA but am inclined to start a Facebook page and try to get others to make a fuss.