RH and LH brake lights inop, High Mounted is working.

[ethan12343]

Hey guys,

So as the title says I have discovered that my left and right hand side stoplights are inop, but the high mounted is working.

I played about with the switch on the pedal and tied to short the cables to see if it was the switch but to no luck. Before i go down the rabbit hole of looking at wiring diagrams has anyone come across this before.

Checked the fuse and the pedal switch, I am yet to check bulbs although its weird both would go at the same time.

Thanks Ethan.

 

[Handy Andy]

Locate the left side (in USE drivers side) felt in the rear hatch/trunk and locate the wiring that goes to the LH light - see if the connector is still on it - but also to make sure it shows voltage getting to it from someone pressing on the brake pedal.

The Hi-mount brake light works because it is AHEAD of the harness going to the rear tailights.

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You got a 5-door Hatch? See that MIDDLE outline? - it has the power to the brake lights heading back there from a connector that goes to the Hi-Mount Brake light. This is the Branch from the tree that powers ALL the rear Brake lights.

IT may be a broken wire or poor ground - so the connector may have been smashed or broken or even corroded from water entry - so the taillights wire from there - it may also have had a pinch in the line so the wire may be good but has to follow back to where the break occurred and rejoin the wires so the lights receive power.

If the rear marker lights work, Does the Turn Signal? The Turn signal uses that same harness - to get power FROM the body control module. It grounds back there - so if REVERSE lights Turn signal and even the running light work - the problem goes back to the branch. So if the Hi-Mount works but the LH and RH Brake lights don't and you have changed the bulbs and the Fuses show ok. Check for power getting back there - and if the wrong bulbs were used or not inserted correctly - it can short out two wires in the bulb connector itself one that is power to operate that brake light and the other to ground the bulb - if they got crossed, that causes a short - and the brake light will not work and more than likely it has burnt the wire out from carrying all the current to the short before it blew the fuse. This scenario can occur when the fuses are replaced and the bulbs still don't work - did you use the right bulbs and or where they inserted correctly? When the right bulbs are in, but the lights DO NOT work the wire and power to the socket need to be checked and tested.

Start at the LH side - that is where the system routes the power - then ties the RH side from the LH side (paralleled) - use a tester to see if power gets back there - then if not - remove the bulbs and also verify the wire that is ground for it is still working.

You have some work ahead of you.