Ford Focus Mk3 Headlights: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

Bulb type, unit part numbers, and the faults that actually cause that flickering or dim light you've noticed.

Generation covered: this guide is for the third-generation Focus, built 2011–2018 (commonly the 2014–2018 registered examples still in daily use). The newer Mk4 Focus (2018–) uses different part numbers throughout — check your V5C logbook or VIN if you're unsure which generation you have.

Illustration for editorial purposes

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The Part That Fails Quietly Until It Doesn't

Degradation here is usually gradual — a slightly dimmer beam, a faint flicker on start-up — right up until the moment it isn't gradual anymore and you're left with one working light on a dark road. Catching the early signs saves a roadside scramble later.

Before you buy: headlight unit and bulb specifications vary by trim, model year and whether your car has factory LED, halogen or adaptive lighting. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

OEM Part Number: CM5Z-13008-V

Accuracy note: headlight specification changed significantly at the 2015 facelift, and separately between halogen and HID/Xenon-equipped cars — always confirm which generation and bulb type your car has before ordering, since the housings are not interchangeable between them.

Pre-facelift (2012–2014), halogen	Ford OEM: CM5Z-13008-V
Facelift (2015–2018), HID/Xenon-equipped	Ford OEM: F1EZ-13008-L (and related F1EZ-13008 variants by side/spec)
Facelift (2015–2018), halogen	Different reference to the HID version — confirm via VIN

Ford substantially redesigned the Focus Mk3's front end at the 2015 facelift, and the headlight units changed shape and part number as a result — a pre-facelift housing will not fit a facelifted car, and vice versa. HID/Xenon-equipped cars also use different internal components to halogen-equipped ones even within the same generation, so check which bulb type your car has (visible on the headlight lens or in your handbook) before ordering.

Ford Focus Mk3 Headlights reference plate

Ford Focus Mk3 Headlights: What They Do

Beyond the obvious — lighting the road ahead — modern headlight units often integrate daytime running lights, indicators, and on higher trims, adaptive beam-shaping that adjusts based on speed and steering angle. A single failing component inside the unit can affect several of these functions at once.

Ford Focus Mk3 Headlights: Generations, Derivatives & Headlight Type

Standard trims	Halogen as standard
Titanium X and higher	Factory-fitted Xenon low beam paired with Halogen high beam, plus LED daytime running lights and auto-levelling — genuinely a mixed-technology setup, not full Xenon on both beams
ST (pre-facelift)	Bi-Xenon HID projector headlights in a fixed (non-adaptive) mounting
ST (facelift, ST2/ST3, ~2015+)	Adaptive Bi-Xenon HID — the projectors genuinely swivel to follow the direction of steering input, a real functional difference from the earlier fixed-mount ST headlights, not just a badge change

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Ford Focus Mk3 Headlights: Common Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Headlights Guide for the four bulb technologies and how they differ, UK law on aim and modifications, common faults to check for, how difficult this job is to DIY, and confirming fitment against your VIN.

More Ford Headlights

The same part, covered across other Ford models.