tail light problem... need fast help please...

[ross22davis]

Just got aftermarket tail lights and my car said Tail light failure. Every bulb lights up except the two brake lights. I put the stock lights back in and they work. What makes me curious is why would both tail lights be out? some kind of wiring problem?? please help.. thanks

[Pjoerunner]

this is everywhere on the forums. search for it. When i did my tails, i ran into the same problem. BUT it was just a matter of adjusting my bulbs in the harness of the tail lights and all is good :cool hope that helps.

[Albertan]

First thing to check when having any electrical problem is the ground connection. Beyond that suggestion, you are on your own. Perhaps compare the new lights to the existing to see what differences there are?

[ross22davis]

this is everywhere on the forums. search for it. When i did my tails, i ran into the same problem. BUT it was just a matter of adjusting my bulbs in the harness of the tail lights and all is good :cool hope that helps.

The tail lights worked great before but the seals leaked so i had to take them out. Now I go to put them back in and the brakes dont work. Did you put your lights in any different way or just messed around with them?

[Pjoerunner]

messed with them. The bulbs fit into a black harness that plugs into the back of the tail light assembly. Sometimes the metal prongs dont make solid contact with each other. So i either bent the prongs out a little, or just moved the harness around a bit until they made a solid connection. Without more information, its hard to tell if you have an actual wiring issue or just a bad connection somewhere. Go over all the easy stuff first. Check fuses, bulbs, easy to reach connections, and go from there.

[ross22davis]

messed with them. The bulbs fit into a black harness that plugs into the back of the tail light assembly. Sometimes the metal prongs dont make solid contact with each other. So i either bent the prongs out a little, or just moved the harness around a bit until they made a solid connection. Without more information, its hard to tell if you have an actual wiring issue or just a bad connection somewhere. Go over all the easy stuff first. Check fuses, bulbs, easy to reach connections, and go from there.

its definitely a connection issue but weird thing is both went bad at one.. what gives? they go in the connector housing really rough compared to the stock ones. All lights work in the stock ones but once I put the smoked ones in all of them work except the 2 tail lights.

[Pjoerunner]

I would guess that your aftermarket lights are defective then. if the same bulb works in your stock lights, but not the other lights. Light is defective. Putting the harnesses in are a pain for everyone. They all go in rough. I had to use a pliers to twist them into my lights. just gotta be real careful and gentle to not bust nothin.

[TCarlisle]

Where did you buy them from? It is probably time to give the vendor a call asking for help.

When I replaced mine, the new ones did wierd things, like the brake light one one side was always on and the reverse light woudl come on when the brake was pressed.... really wierd stuff. As soon as I called the vendor and described the problem, they knew what it was and sent a new pair. I am not sure, but maybe I got a pair that was for a 4-door and I have a 2-door, or something like that.

Your issue doesn't sound like my issue, but still worth giving the vendor a call.

If I understand right, when you put the new lights in, which came with all new bulbs, the 2 brake lights don't worki. So you swapped your old ones back in, and they all work. Have you put the new lights back in, but swapped the brake light bulbs from your old into the new light assemblies? You might have just gotten a set with bad bulbs. As others said, sometimes the bulbs just need to be reseated.

[ross22davis]

Where did you buy them from? It is probably time to give the vendor a call asking for help.

When I replaced mine, the new ones did wierd things, like the brake light one one side was always on and the reverse light woudl come on when the brake was pressed.... really wierd stuff. As soon as I called the vendor and described the problem, they knew what it was and sent a new pair. I am not sure, but maybe I got a pair that was for a 4-door and I have a 2-door, or something like that.

Your issue doesn't sound like my issue, but still worth giving the vendor a call.

If I understand right, when you put the new lights in, which came with all new bulbs, the 2 brake lights don't worki. So you swapped your old ones back in, and they all work. Have you put the new lights back in, but swapped the brake light bulbs from your old into the new light assemblies? You might have just gotten a set with bad bulbs. As others said, sometimes the bulbs just need to be reseated.

bought from a person off craigslist.. he installed them for me and they worked perfectly. They started leaking around the seals and i had a foot of water in my trunk. I took the tail lights out and sealed them up. I went to put them back in and all of a sudden the brake lights dont work. Took them out again and put my stock lights in and all lights work on the stock lenses. So im not getting a connection somewhere. But the lights did in fact work before. They worked perfectly when i bought them.

[Pjoerunner]

I bet the leaking water has something to do with it. Some water maybe leaked into the tail light and messed up some wiring. Water and wires dont go together. kinda like using a pick up line on a girl at a club. It just doesnt work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dantesboyz]

i remember when i got mine there was a peice of paper that came with the tailights and it said something about the vehicles with check systems. something to do with backfeeding grounds, but the tail lights had metal strips all throughout the framing of it to conduct the current between the bulbs. the check system vehicles required you to cut one of those tabs and that breaks a backfeed circuit. allows everything to function properly. let me see if i still have it tomorrow, then i might be able tofax it to you or something. i think i have a scanner around here some where too, let me see what i can do