FJ62 Rear Passenger Tail Light Issue (1 Viewer)

[pborrica]

Hey everyone,

Running into an issue with my rear tail light on the passenger side. When I turn on the lights of the car it does not illuminate. The driver side tail light functions as it should without any issues., but I am running into a bit of trouble with the passenger side. When I use the blinkers the proper lights will flash. When I press the brakes the light will turn on. It is only when the car is idling that the light does not work. I was suspecting a wiring issue, but I don't believe it is if the light will work when the brake is pressed. Has anyone ever run into this issue? Any help would be awesome! Thanks in advance!

 

[Cruiser Cult]

Hey everyone,

Running into an issue with my rear tail light on the passenger side. When I turn on the lights of the car it does not illuminate. The driver side tail light functions as it should without any issues., but I am running into a bit of trouble with the passenger side. When I use the blinkers the proper lights will flash. When I press the brakes the light will turn on. It is only when the car is idling that the light does not work. I was suspecting a wiring issue, but I don't believe it is if the light will work when the brake is pressed. Has anyone ever run into this issue? Any help would be awesome! Thanks in advance!

I would start by taking out the bulbs and cleaning the sockets and the terminals on the connector. Those usually get dirty and corroded over time.

 

[pborrica]

I would start by taking out the bulbs and cleaning the sockets and the terminals on the connector. Those usually get dirty and corroded over time.

Yeaa I was thinking the same originally. Got some new bulbs in there, cleaned it out, and still didn’t fix the issue unfortunately. I even took the passenger tail light and swapped it with the driver side and it worked fine. So I don’t believe the issue is with the bulbs or tail light assembly in general. It’s been frustrating haha

 

[Cruiser Cult]

Yeaa I was thinking the same originally. Got some new bulbs in there, cleaned it out, and still didn’t fix the issue unfortunately. I even took the passenger tail light and swapped it with the driver side and it worked fine. So I don’t believe the issue is with the bulbs or tail light assembly in general. It’s been frustrating haha

Ah nuts, those were the easy fixes. hahaha
So I would next look at the wires as they pass through the rear quarter panels. That is a common spot for them to rub and short out/break.

 

[pborrica]

Ah nuts, those were the easy fixes. hahaha
So I would next look at the wires as they pass through the rear quarter panels. That is a common spot for them to rub and short out/break.

Hahah man I wish that could've been the solution. I was hoping someone might have ran into this issue before so I wouldn't have to examine every wire through the car haha, but looks like I'll have to do that. Do you know if there is any relay or piece of equipment or anything that is controlling whether or not the light is lit while idling?

 

[Rabrownmkiv]

Those bulbs are dual filament, so there is one wire for the running lights, and one for the brake lights that go to that bulb. Since the other light is working fine, it's not going to be a relay or fuse or anything like that. Most likely you have a break in the running light wire somewhere going to that side. That harness is pretty easy to get to though, remove the taillight and the plug runs down the inside of the panel then out the bottom and across the underside to the driver's side. Look for wires rubbing on metal like @Cruiser Cult mentioned. Probably won't take too long to find.

 

[pborrica]

Those bulbs are dual filament, so there is one wire for the running lights, and one for the brake lights that go to that bulb. Since the other light is working fine, it's not going to be a relay or fuse or anything like that. Most likely you have a break in the running light wire somewhere going to that side. That harness is pretty easy to get to though, remove the taillight and the plug runs down the inside of the panel then out the bottom and across the underside to the driver's side. Look for wires rubbing on metal like @Cruiser Cult mentioned. Probably won't take too long to find.

Thank you! This helped me tremendously! I didn't really realize it was a dual filament bulb with two wires controlling it haha makes total sense though now. I swapped the faulty wire and now everything looks to be working as it should. Thank you and @Cruiser Cult for the assist!

 

[Rabrownmkiv]

Thank you! This helped me tremendously! I didn't really realize it was a dual filament bulb with two wires controlling it haha makes total sense though now. I swapped the faulty wire and now everything looks to be working as it should. Thank you and @Cruiser Cult for the assist!

Good deal, glad you got it fixed!