# Taillight issue. HELP. **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [March 6, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554 "2008-03-06T14:10:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dawn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dawn/32/7209_2.png) [@dawn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dawn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/1 "2008-03-06T14:10:17Z")
Ok, so I got pulled over the other night because my brake light wasn’t working. Upon inspection of it, I realized that when my headlights/tail lights are on, my rear taillight is bright like a brake light. When they’re not on, my brake light is dim like a tail light. How the hell did this happen? And how do I fix it? I went and bought a bulb from Napa, and the guy told me I put the bulb in backwards. Right… I need to fix this before the 18th, because I need to mail in the ticket stating that I fixed it. Please help. Edit: Also, it’s the correct bulb. I matched it to the other taillight bulb. And the socket is not corroded (sp.) ---
**Author:** ![HotRodKid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/hotrodkid/32/7609_2.png) [@HotRodKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HotRodKid)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/2 "2008-03-06T14:18:33Z")
PM fuzzyfish, hes good with wiring did you check if you put the bulb in backwards first ? its possible in some cases ---
**Author:** ![Cavi\_Mike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cavi_mike/32/5217_2.png) [@Cavi\_Mike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Cavi_Mike)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/3 "2008-03-06T14:19:59Z")
Sounds like the bulb is in backwards. ---
**Author:** ![dawn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dawn/32/7209_2.png) [@dawn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dawn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/4 "2008-03-06T14:22:08Z")
Uh, you guys are jerks. The bulb is not in backwards. I don’t even think that’s possible. And if it is, well, I put the bulb in both ways just to make sure. I’m not THAT retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Nikuk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/nikuk/32/7254_2.png) [@Nikuk](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Nikuk)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/5 "2008-03-06T14:26:28Z")
> don’t trust wrench turners. Why do you even ask? ---
**Author:** ![dawn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dawn/32/7209_2.png) [@dawn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dawn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/6 "2008-03-06T14:27:23Z")
It’s an inside joke. Not really serious. ---
**Author:** ![Cavi\_Mike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cavi_mike/32/5217_2.png) [@Cavi\_Mike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Cavi_Mike)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/7 "2008-03-06T14:30:00Z")
From the amount of crap I’ve read on here, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone put their bulb in backwards. Sorry but that’s the way it is. What type of bulb is it or at least what kind of car is it? ---
**Author:** ![dawn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dawn/32/7209_2.png) [@dawn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dawn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/8 "2008-03-06T14:32:56Z")
'99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 The bulb is the passenger side tail light/brake light. It has one connector and one filament. ---
**Author:** ![Cavi\_Mike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cavi_mike/32/5217_2.png) [@Cavi\_Mike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Cavi_Mike)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/9 "2008-03-06T14:53:40Z")
It’s an 1157 and it’s dual filament. I guess I wasn’t very far off with my first post. It sounds like your ground is bad. It’s pretty easy to tell just by looking at the light bulb. Pull the socket out of your tail light and turn your parking lights on. The 20watt filament will be lit up but is the 5watt also? If you can’t tell, have someone step on your brake pedal. Does the bright filament get real dim? Bad ground. It’s most likely the socket, they corrode and rot out all of the time. ---
**Author:** ![dawn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dawn/32/7209_2.png) [@dawn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dawn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/10 "2008-03-06T15:45:21Z")
It’s not a dual filament though. Atleast, not the bulbs that I have. And the driver side works perfectly fine and is not dual. I bought a dual one for the pass. and it didn’t fit. I went to two different places, and both places list a single filament for that car. Actually, there’s like 4 different bulbs listed, but they’re all the same. Turning signal, brake, and tail light are all the same bulb but they’re listed differently. I don’t know why. Boo. And it doesn’t make sense that the driver side would work on the one filament but the other side wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![ILCisDEAD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a87d85/32.png) [@ILCisDEAD](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ILCisDEAD)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/11 "2008-03-06T16:12:06Z")
Bang some dude to fix it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Silver](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/silver/32/4953_2.png) [@Silver](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Silver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/12 "2008-03-06T16:17:31Z")
Tail light fluid levels. ---
**Author:** ![MXS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mxs/32/7507_2.png) [@MXS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MXS)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/13 "2008-03-06T16:23:06Z")
Swap the bulbs from driver to passenger side and see if the problem follows? ---
**Author:** ![Pauly](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/pauly/32/7493_2.png) [@Pauly](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Pauly)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/14 "2008-03-06T17:12:33Z")
Is that got a circut board type set up that the bulb plugs into? I had a similar problem with a ponitac mini van and the circut board would get wet and do all kids of screwy stuff ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/15 "2008-03-06T18:51:37Z")
[http://www.nyspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44963](http://www.nyspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44963) Lots of good tail light troubleshooting tips in there. ---
**Author:** ![95dime](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/95dime/32/7514_2.png) [@95dime](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/95dime)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/16 "2008-03-06T19:19:45Z")
sounds like a bad ground to me.if its the circuit board type that could be bad, if its regular old wire and ballast id say check the connections for corrosion/if theyre loose and check your ground for that taillight. ---
**Author:** ![Cavi\_Mike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cavi_mike/32/5217_2.png) [@Cavi\_Mike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Cavi_Mike)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/17 "2008-03-06T20:24:20Z")
> [@dawn](#): > > And the driver side works perfectly fine and is not dual. What do you mean ‘works perfectly fine?’ It stays dim until you hit your brakes? ---
**Author:** ![nitroinsane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@nitroinsane](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/nitroinsane)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/18 "2008-03-06T20:34:47Z")
you have a bad socket or 2 ---
**Author:** ![dawn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/dawn/32/7209_2.png) [@dawn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/dawn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 10:05am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/19 "2008-03-07T10:05:33Z")
> [@Cavi Mike](#): > > What do you mean ‘works perfectly fine?’ It stays dim until you hit your brakes? What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Cavi\_Mike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cavi_mike/32/5217_2.png) [@Cavi\_Mike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Cavi_Mike)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554/20 "2008-03-07T10:10:14Z")
Well if it stays dim until you hit your brakes IT’S A DUAL FILAMENT smart ass. [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/taillight-issue-help/44554.md?page=2)