Ford Explorer Dome Light Bulb Size

The Ford Explorer dome light utilizes 168, 578, 912, and 906 bulb sizes depending on the specific version of the interior illumination component. Provided information covers a span from 1995 through 2012.

The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.

Bulb Size by Year Range

Years	Bulb Size
2011-2012	168
2002-2010	578
2001	912
1999-2000	906
1998	912
1997	906
1995-1996	912

Bulb Specifications

Description	Bulb Size
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Miniature wedge bulb (T10). 12V, 4.9W.	168
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Festoon bulb, 41mm length, end-cap contacts. 12V, 12W.	578
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Wedge bulb (T15). Variant of 921. 12V, 12W.	912
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Miniature wedge bulb (T10). 12V, 8W.	906

Other Locations

Additional Notes

The Ford Explorer dome light draws from four distinct bulb types across the 1995-2012 model years: the 168, 578, 912, and 906, all of which conform to ANSI standards recognized in both the United States and Canada.
The 578 festoon bulb is the most frequently specified type in these data, covering the Ford Explorer from 2002-2010. It operates at 12V and 12W, and its end-cap contacts sit at either end of a 41mm cylindrical housing rather than using a wedge-style base.
The 912 wedge bulb, rated at 12V and 12W, is classified as a T15 type and is noted as a variant of the 921 bulb. It appears in the 1995-1996, 1998, and 2001 model years.
The 906 is a T10 miniature wedge bulb rated at 12V and 8W. It is specified for the 1997, 1999, and 2000 model years.
The 168 is also a T10 miniature wedge bulb, though it is rated at a lower 4.9W compared to the 906. It is specified for the 2011-2012 model years.
Although the 168 and 906 share the same T10 wedge form factor, their wattage ratings differ substantially, at 4.9W and 8W respectively. This distinction is relevant to fitment, as substituting one for the other may affect circuit load and light output.
The 912 and 578 both operate at 12W, but their base types are entirely different. The 578 uses a festoon configuration while the 912 uses a T15 wedge base, making them physically non-interchangeable despite the shared wattage.
The transition from the 912 wedge in 2001 to the 578 festoon in 2002 reflects a change in socket type between those model years of the Ford Explorer, meaning bulbs from those two consecutive years are not interchangeable.
The shift from the 578 festoon in 2010 to the 168 T10 wedge in 2011 represents another socket-type change, again making bulbs from those adjacent years incompatible with each other.
The 906 and 912 alternate across several model years in the 1995-2001 range of the Ford Explorer, indicating that the same generation of the vehicle did not use a single consistent dome bulb type throughout its production run.