The Putco Excalibur LED Tailgate Light Bar is a direct-fit third tail lamp for the Ford F-150 and Super Duty. It runs the full width of your tailgate and works with your factory tail lamps to add running lights, brake lights, turn signals, hazard lights, and a very bright reverse light. The design follows the full-width rear light strips found on many luxury and electric vehicles, and it is shaped to follow the contour of your Ford tailgate so it looks like a factory part.
The Excalibur is also built to make your truck easier to see and easier to back up at night. Below is what it does, how it is built, and what to know before you buy.
Key Features:
- Factory-Matched Fit: Three-color injection-molded housing shaped to match the F-150 and Super Duty tailgate for an OEM look.
- Programmable Signals: Three turn signal styles, a triple-flash brake light, and a startup animation.
- 8,000-Lumen Reverse Light: Bright 6500K white light aimed downward for better ground visibility when backing up.
- Plug-N-Play and Weatherproof: Quick Connect harness for simple installation, with IP69K-rated sealed construction.
A Factory-Matched Look
The housing is made with three-color injection molding, a process where different colors of plastic are molded together into one part. This allows the lens, housing, and trim to be produced as a single precise piece that lines up with the surface of your tailgate, so the light bar looks like an original Ford component rather than an add-on.
The LED colors are also chosen to match your truck. The Excalibur uses Mega Red LEDs to match your factory red tail lamps and a premium cool white for the reverse light.
Lighting Functions
Putco describes the Excalibur as a six-function LED assembly. It connects to your truck's lighting system and works in sync with your stock tail lamps, so when your factory lights come on, the Excalibur responds with them. It provides:
- Running lights
- Brake lights
- Turn signals
- Reverse light
- Hazard lights
- Startup welcome animation
Startup Animation: When you start the truck, unlock it, or use remote start, the light bar plays a welcome animation across the tailgate. This feature can be enabled if you want it.
Programmable Turn Signals: You can choose from three turn signal styles: sequential scan, sequential chase, or standard flash. The two sequential styles move light across the bar toward the direction you are turning, rather than blinking all at once. Standard flash is a traditional on-and-off blink.
Triple Flash Brake: When you press the brake pedal, the light bar gives a quick triple pulse. This is meant to catch the attention of distracted drivers behind you, especially during sudden stops.
Tap-N-Sync Enabled: Tap-N-Sync is Putco's setup system that lets you choose these settings during installation, so the light bar works the way you want it to.
Reverse Light
The reverse function puts out 8,000 lumens. Lumens measure the total amount of light a source produces, so a higher number means more light. The color temperature is 6500K. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K): lower numbers look warm and yellowish, and higher numbers look cool and white. At 6500K, the light is a crisp white similar to daylight.
The reverse lens is designed to aim the light downward, toward the ground behind your truck, which is where you need to see when backing up. This also reduces glare into your rearview camera, so the image on your screen is clearer at night.
Lens and Light Quality
The Excalibur uses a patented Red Jeweled Makrolon lens. Makrolon is a brand of high-grade polycarbonate plastic known for its clarity and impact resistance. The lens lets the light shine brightly through the red housing.
The lens surface has an engineered microstructure, which means tiny patterns are molded into it to spread the light evenly. This prevents "hotspots," the bright individual dots you sometimes see on cheaper light bars where each LED sits. Instead, the full length of the bar glows evenly.
The light bar has a wide viewing angle of ±40°, meaning the light stays clearly visible from up to 40 degrees to either side of directly behind your truck. Drivers in neighboring lanes can see your signals, not just the car directly behind you.
Putco also uses what it calls Anti-Glare Technology. The LEDs are positioned to reduce harsh light shining into the eyes of other drivers, keeping your truck visible without blinding the people behind you.
Durability and Build Quality
- Encapsulated LEDs: The LEDs are fully encapsulated, meaning they are sealed inside a tinted polycarbonate resin. This keeps water, dirt, and dust away from the electronics.
- Robotic Sealing: Each unit is sealed using a custom, large-format robotic sealing machine built specifically for this part. Using a machine instead of hand assembly gives every unit the same consistent seal, which helps with long-term reliability.
- IP69K Rating: "IP" stands for Ingress Protection, a rating that describes how well a product keeps out dust and water. The "6" means the unit is fully dust-tight, and the "9K" means it can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water spray, similar to a pressure washer. This is one of the highest weatherproof ratings available.
- Sealed Driver: The "driver" is the electronic module that controls power to the LEDs and runs the lighting functions. On the Excalibur, the driver is housed in a sturdy aluminum box and permanently sealed with a thermoset polymer, a material that hardens permanently once cured and does not soften with heat. This protects the electronics from impacts, vibration, moisture, and temperature changes.
- Solid-State Design: The light bar uses current LED chip arrays and drivers in a fully solid-state, sealed design. Solid-state means there are no moving parts or traditional bulbs to burn out.
DOT/SAE Compliance Explained
The Excalibur has been tested for compliance with SAE J585, J586, and J588. SAE stands for the Society of Automotive Engineers, an organization that writes technical standards for vehicle parts. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) uses standards like these in its vehicle lighting requirements. Here is what each one covers:
- SAE J585: Tail lamps (also called rear position lamps), the running lights that make your vehicle visible from behind.
- SAE J586: Stop lamps, also known as brake lights.
- SAE J588: Turn signal lamps.
These standards set requirements for brightness, color, and visibility so that other drivers can clearly recognize what your lights are telling them. Putco states that this testing makes the Excalibur a fully legal, street-compliant product. As with any lighting modification, it is a good idea to check your local regulations.
Choosing the Right Version: Does Your Truck Have Onboard Scales (OBS)?
Onboard Scales (OBS) is a Ford option that estimates how much weight is in your truck bed. On equipped trucks, the taillights can light up like a bar graph to show the load. Because OBS uses the tail lamps, the Excalibur is offered in "OBS" and "No OBS" versions, and you will need to choose the right one for your truck. If you are not sure whether your truck has OBS, here are several quick ways to check:
- Center Screen: Look in Settings or Truck Features for "Onboard Scales."
- Taillights: Load the bed. If the taillights light up like a bar graph, you have OBS.
- FordPass App: If OBS is equipped, the app will display payload information when connected.
- Window Sticker/Build Sheet: Look for Option Code 53W or "Onboard Scales with Smart Hitch."
- VIN Check: Your Ford dealer can confirm OBS using your VIN.
Why Choose the Putco Excalibur:
- Better Visibility: Brake lights, turn signals, and hazards across the full tailgate make your truck easier to see from behind and from the side.
- Safer Backing Up: The 8,000-lumen downward-aimed reverse light makes it easier to see the ground behind you at night.
- Factory Appearance: The molded housing and matched colors look like an original part of your truck.
- Built for the Weather: IP69K rating, encapsulated LEDs, and a sealed driver are designed to handle rain, snow, dust, and pressure washing.
- Warranty Coverage: Backed by Putco's 3-year warranty.
Installation:
The Excalibur is a direct-fit product made specifically for the F-150 and Super Duty tailgate. It includes a Plug-N-Play harness with Putco's exclusive Quick Connect connectors, which are designed to work with the advanced electrical systems in today's trucks. Plug-N-Play means the harness connects to your truck's existing wiring with plugs.
The lighting control module, housed in its aluminum driver box, connects through Putco's F-150 and Super Duty specific wiring harnesses. It is engineered to work with your truck's electrical system and logic, meaning it correctly reads the signals your truck sends for braking, turning, and reversing.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Confirm whether your truck has Onboard Scales (OBS) and order the matching version.
- Choose your turn signal style and startup animation settings during installation using Tap-N-Sync.
- Follow the vehicle-specific instructions included with your kit.
Specifications:
- Product Type: Direct-fit LED tailgate light bar (third tail lamp)
- Fitment: Ford F-150 and Super Duty (OBS and No OBS versions)
- Functions: Running lights, brake lights, turn signals, reverse light, hazard lights, startup animation
- Turn Signal Modes: Sequential scan, sequential chase, standard flash
- Brake Light: Triple-flash quick pulse
- Tail/Brake Color: Mega Red
- Reverse Light Output: 8,000 lumens
- Reverse Color Temperature: 6500K cool white
- Lens: Patented Red Jeweled Makrolon with engineered microstructure
- Viewing Angle: ±40°
- Housing: Three-color injection molded
- LED Protection: Fully encapsulated in tinted polycarbonate resin
- Driver: Aluminum housing, sealed with thermoset polymer
- Weatherproof Rating: IP69K
- Compliance: DOT/SAE tested for SAE J585, J586, J588
- Programming: Tap-N-Sync enabled
- Harness: Plug-N-Play with Putco Quick Connect
- Warranty: Putco 3-year warranty
- Designed In: Des Moines, IA, USA
If you want a full-width tailgate light that looks like it came from the factory and adds real visibility and backing-up light to your F-150 or Super Duty, the Putco Excalibur LED Tailgate Light Bar is a solid option to consider.