Last Updated on Dec 3, 2021
Tail lights are a very important safety feature on every machine. They are necessary when driving at nighttime, twilight hours, or in bad weather condition like rain and snow.
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The purpose of your tail lights are to illuminate the rear of your car. Generally, they plough on when you lot flip the switch that also turns on your headlights. Many newer models have them on an automated sensor which turns them on when information technology detects a driblet in ambient effulgence.
Just like every other part on a motorcar, tail lights tin can terminate working, causing a major safety business. Not just is this unsafe for other drivers on the road who may not run across your vehicle due to no lights in the rear, just you can as well become a ticket from the police, or fail your state's inspection process for registration.
Only what happens when your brake lights work and at the aforementioned fourth dimension, your tail lamps don't?
See Also: Brake Lights Won't Turn Off?
half-dozen Common Causes for Tail Lights Not Working just Brake Lights Are
#one – Bad Tail Light Fuse
The first affair to check when facing an inoperational electrical component, especially when it comes to bad tail lights, is the fuse.
A fuse is basically a metal band inside a plastic container designed to break when the current flowing through it becomes too high. This protects other parts of the electrical organisation from condign damaged.
There are generally ii areas that comprise fuses in a motorcar.
- One is a fuse panel inside the motel of the vehicle. This is normally in the front rider side, behind a plastic panel underneath the nuance. In certain cars it can be found on the side of the nuance with the passenger side door opened all the mode.
- The 2d common surface area to find fuses is in the main fuse box nether the hood. Information technology's a big black box that has a lot of wires attached to information technology. Once you have the cover off the top of information technology, y'all can access the fuses inside.
Each fuse controls a different electrical component, and their jobs should be listed on the covering yous removed to access the fuses. If not, they can be identified by using the owner's manual, or by looking up a year, brand, model specific diagram online.
One time the fuse that controls your tail lights is identified, it can exist tested using a fuse tester, which will light up if the fuse is practiced. If information technology doesn't light upwards, the fuse should exist replaced with one of the same size and amperage. On sure fuses, you lot tin visually run across a pause in the metal wire inside a bad fuse.
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#2 – Bad Tail Light Bulbs
If the fuses under the hood and inside the cab bank check out fine, the next culprit to look at are the tail lamp bulbs themselves. This generally involves removing the tail calorie-free encompass, although some cars have an admission panel where yous can reach in and twist the bulb out of the lens.
The all-time fashion to identify a bad bulb is to remove it from the socket information technology is plugged into, and closely inspect the filament. The filament is the wire inside the bulb that creates the illumination. A broken filament means no illumination and you volition need to replace it with a new bulb.
Already changed the light bulb with a new i and it's still non working? Read on.
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#three – Socket Failure
Sometimes the socket the bulb gets plugged into tin can go bad. Unremarkably this is caused by corrosion, which is acquired my wet entering the socket. However, it tin also end upwardly failing due to poor connectedness of the wires in the dorsum.
If the bulb and fuse both cheque out skilful, check the condition of the socket while you lot have the bulb out of it. Look for any discoloration, similar white, blue or brown, and bent or broken pins.
It is likewise a skillful idea at this point to check electric current with a multimeter at the socket. No electricity reaching the pins means a failure somewhere up the electrical line.
#iv – Worn Out Wiring
If in that location is no electrical current reaching the socket, and fuses take checked out skilful, it is very likely there is a damaged or broken wire somewhere along the line.
At this point, y'all'll demand to obtain a wiring diagram and visually inspect the wires forth the tail light circuit for broken wires or cracked insulation.
Be certain to check the body grounds coming off this excursion as well. A dirty, loose, or broken ground wire volition crusade a failure in delivery of electricity to the sockets as well.
#v – Command Switch Failure
Another cause for tail lights not turning on is the switch that controls them. The head lite switch on the dash can neglect likewise, and should be checked of everything else has checked out good.
Normally, this switch turns on head lights, tail lights, and parking lights. If all other parts of the tail calorie-free excursion are in proper working social club, it's possible this switch has failed. This can be pulled out from the dash and checked with a multimeter to verify it has failed.
#6 – Muddy or Bad Ambience Light Sensor
Many modern cars likewise accept an ambience light sensor on the dash. This allows the vehicle's calculator to automatically plow the head lights and tail lights on and off according to how light or dark it is outside.
Some also plow off daytime running lights on newer vehicles. If both your parking lights and headlights don't plow on only your restriction lights yet practise, this is the likely culprit.
If this sensor goes bad, or gets too dirty, it cannot tell if it is low-cal or dark outside, and may non plow on the lights. Just once more, this would affect both the head lights and tail lights, and could be easily tested by manually turning the head light switch to the on position.
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Conclusion
Overall, tracking down an electrical failure tin can exist tricky and frustrating. Thankfully, tail light bulbs usually run on their own isolated circuit, and so issues tin can be tracked downwardly with relative ease.
All of these failures volition cause the tail lights to not work, simply will still allow brake lights to turn on when the pedal is depressed equally the brake lights run on a different line of circuitry.
Once a driver realizes their tail lights are non working, they should immediately address the trouble for their own condom and that of others.
Source: https://stephenalit19932.blogspot.com/2021/12/2001-ford-f150-headlight-and-dash-light.html
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