Running taillights not working

[mtb9153]

 

Hey there it’s Mike (a.k.a. Maxus) in CA, I’m trying to fix a problem I’m having with my right rear running lights not lighting. Neither the lens on the tailgate or the one on the right rear fender. However the right brake light works and so does the turn signal. Also the backup light works. I wanted to check the fuses but I’m not sure where they are?

[ptjones]

As it turns out there are two fuse boxes shown on pages 272 to 276 in the owners Manual.  Our Forum Links don't work for OM so I need to add this link: http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13cmhom3e.pdf:)  Hope this helps.

 

Paul

[mtb9153]

Thanks for the link Paul, I looked through the many pages of information regarding the fuses and the location of the 3 different fuse blocks. None of them seem to show a fuse which is for the rear running lights. So I still haven’t found away to fix the right rear lights which aren’t working. But at least the right rear brake light is working and the turn signal. Now if I could just get the running lights to work.

[plus 3 golfer]

Hey there it’s Mike (a.k.a. Maxus) in CA, I’m trying to fix a problem I’m having with my right rear running lights not lighting. Neither the lens on the tailgate or the one on the right rear fender. However the right brake light works and so does the turn signal. Also the backup light works. I wanted to check the fuses but I’m not sure where they are?

There are no fuses for individual light circuits.  The BCM controls the park lights, turn signals, reverse lights and so forth.  Since other lights work the BCM fuses are good.

 

Given that the lights are out on the tailgate (separate fixture and wiring) and also on rear fender (separate fixture and wiring), the single contingency fault to take out both lights exists from the splice where the two park light circuits split from the single wire connected to the BCM that controls the right rear park lights or the BCM is bad.  It's also possible that you had a double fault for example both lamps failed around the same time so you didn't notice that one lamp was out.  It's also possible that the two wires from the splice to the fixtures were damaged at different times or the same time.  IMO, the least unlikely double contingency condition would be that the two fixtures failed around the same time.

 

Has anyone done work under the dash, or in the fixture / tailgate area that could have damaged something (likely wiring)?

 

I'd first make sure the bulbs are good.  If good, then I'd find the splice as IMO that would be a likely point of failure.  Check splice and continuity from the splice to fixtures with an ohmeter.  Attached are two diagrams from the service manual.

 

[mtb9153]

Plus 3 Golfer, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the matter. All that wiring stuff spooks me and I’m not good with dealing into them. So I will probably turn to a 3 party Automotive shop I trust and have done work with on my wife’s car. Not going to the dealer that sold me Maxus, they have changed ownership and I’m not confident in them doing me right. Believed it or not the dealership was purchased by Warren Buffet, unbelievable he want a car dealership in San Jose.

[plus 3 golfer]

One more thought: I assume that the BCM monitors the light circuits and there may be a DTC.  Check for DTCs in Engineering test mode.  When I have time I'll look at what DTCs are avaiable in the BCM.

 

Hopefully it's the bulbs. It's a pain to troubleshoot wiring.  If it's not the bulbs, I would think that it would take less than an hour for a tech to pull the connector from the BCM and check the continuity of the wiring from the BCM connector to the light fixtures. 

[mtb9153]

Plus 3 Golfer, I have replaced the bulbs with no change. There’s something a miss with the wiring I’m afraid. After the Holiday I’m taking Maxus to a trusted repair shop for them to sort out.

[obob]

Plus 3 Golfer, I have replaced the bulbs with no change. There’s something a miss with the wiring I’m afraid. After the Holiday I’m taking Maxus to a trusted repair shop for them to sort out.

 

You might want to provide a copy of the Plus 3 Golfer provided diagrams to your repair shop.   You saving them time and frustration might save you money.  And they may not have access to the diagrams.

[mtb9153]

Good thought bob I will print them out, thanks for your input.

[mtb9153]

I took Maxus to the stealership and they fixed the problem. They tod me they replaced the bulb and said the socket was bad which I seriously doubt since it never has been disturbed since Maxus was born (2013). Lastly they charged me $45 for a new bulb just the bulb. Crazy Autozone sells the same bulb for about $10, but we all know the stealership over inflates parts prices.