Rear Brake lights dont work! help!

[Teddybbc]

Hey guys, so I have a '05 Mazda3 GS, bought it back in July, just noticed this past weekend that the 1st and 3rd rear brake lights dont light up when i push on the brakes. The middle light will light up, but the others won't.

I'm not sure if anyone else has come across this problem, I know some people have had similar issues with their lights...but anyone come across this exact same issue, or no what the cause of it may be?

any help is appreciated, i hope i dont have to end up paying dollars to fix the circuits. hopefully its just bulbs...

[Skip]

Check the fuse panels...one under the hood and one nder the glove box. The owners manual should tell you which fuse is for the taillights/brake lights

[TheMAN]

I didn't know there was front brake lights :chuckle

[FLIPDADY]

Brake light switch malfunction?

[Noisy Crow]

Bulbs burned out?

[Teddybbc]

I didn't know there was front brake lights :chuckle

cute... lol

i mentioned "rear" because thats where the brakes are located. not to imply that there's brake lights in the front. lol geez.

[WLS ZMZM]

might be your brake switch like flippy said.. if so... let me know lol... I have a spare one since I thought that was the issue on my car... and that was definitely not the case lol.......

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Funny, I just dealt with this and by just I mean as of 5 min ago.

Does your cruise/horn work?

I have been having horn issues so I pulled the fuse, reading on mazda3forums I learned that the horn and brake lights share the same fuse even though it's not listed as such.

Replaced my horn fuse (40) and pulled the relay instead and my brake lights are back.

[Triznox]

Hey guys, so I have a '05 Mazda3 GS, bought it back in July, just noticed this past weekend that the 1st and 3rd rear brake lights dont light up when i push on the brakes. The middle light will light up, but the others won't.

I'm not sure if anyone else has come across this problem, I know some people have had similar issues with their lights...but anyone come across this exact same issue, or no what the cause of it may be?

any help is appreciated, i hope i dont have to end up paying dollars to fix the circuits. hopefully its just bulbs...

If the middle one still works, it's just your bulbs. This happened to me too both sides burnt out nearly the same time.

[RedRaptor]

After going out for his bday dinner, wtom noticed that my passenger side rear OEM LED tail light is out.

Fuzz...

Everything else is working fine in terms of lights. I don't think its the fuse since my passenger side parking light still works fine (same fuse according to manual).

It would suck if the actual passenger side tail light is dead...since its LED and not a bulb I can just replace.

Any ideas or should I start talk to Joe about getting a new one?

[Noisy Crow]

I would start by seeing if there is power back there when the lights are on.......

[jonobono14]

Hey im havin the same problem with the outside two brake lights not lighting up but the centre one will. Ive checked all the fuses and the bulbs are fine

[armymom811]

Hey im havin the same problem with the outside two brake lights not lighting up but the centre one will. Ive checked all the fuses and the bulbs are fine

I am having the same problem! Can someone help?:(

[TheMAN]

are they the original bulbs or replacements? they're supposed to be dual filament... if you put the wrong ones in, they won't work!

[vinnierap]

easiest fix, try the bulbs first then take it from there. If you dont know what bulbs to buy, take the old ones out and go to crappy tire and match them up.

[TheMAN]

if the "old" ones are not the originals and are the wrong ones, then the result will be the same

best to use this handy guide :)
http://www.protegefaq.net/lightbulbs.html

[manni]

Hi Guys,

I'm having the exact same problem. I have replaced the bulbs, checked all the fuses and replaced the brake switch. The cruise control and the horn works also. The rear high mounted brake light works the ones on either end do not?

Any ideas?

[Flagrum_3]

Hi Guys,

I'm having the exact same problem. I have replaced the bulbs, checked all the fuses and replaced the brake switch. The cruise control and the horn works also. The rear high mounted brake light works the ones on either end do not?

Any ideas?

If you've done everything above correctly then make sure the new bulbs are the right ones; Check your manual it's the Best place. Check that the new bulbs are actually good! I've bought bulbs and they were already toast. Secondly have you checked the bulb sockets and wiring to them for corrosion or breakage? Sometimes a little squirt of WD-40 into the sockets will help.

Just a couple of thoughts thrown out there...

_3

[eqlso]

If your bulbs and fuses all look good, and you have a sedan, check the bunch of wires in the black plastic tubing on the left side after you open your trunk.

[manni]

Hey Guys,

I left it for a few hours went back to the car...and now they work. Didn't change a thing, its very strange.

[Flagrum_3]

Hey Guys,

I left it for a few hours went back to the car...and now they work. Didn't change a thing, its very strange.

Hallucinations brought on by illegal substances maybe? ;-)


_3

[manni]

Hallucinations brought on by illegal substances maybe? ;-)


_3

I wish...

On another note was thinking about cutting out an access "hatch" on both sides of the trunk liner where the back of the light fitting is, just for easier access...anyone else tried anything simliar?

[highlineMotors]

Hey guys, so I have a '05 Mazda3 GS, bought it back in July, just noticed this past weekend that the 1st and 3rd rear brake lights dont light up when i push on the brakes. The middle light will light up, but the others won't.

I'm not sure if anyone else has come across this problem, I know some people have had similar issues with their lights...but anyone come across this exact same issue, or no what the cause of it may be?

any help is appreciated, i hope i dont have to end up paying dollars to fix the circuits. hopefully its just bulbs...

The Mazda 3's have issues with the wiring harness breaking inside of the trunk lid breaking. Check the wiring on the left side of the trunk lid.

[Prima Tech Aaron]

I don't know if anyone will find this helpful but I worked on a 3 that had the bumper reflectors replaced with LED strips that were spliced into the tail lights. One LED had water intrusion and was flickering or shorting which blew the fuse in the PJB. maybe some of these problems are caused by mods?

also if the third brake light works I'd think the brake switch is ok.

99% of the time it's just the bulbs.

[flyer99]

I am logging in here with great difficulty. Just thought that this site might benefit from my experience--the site did help me but logging on to help others is a real chore (not ulkike similar sites). I do not own the car-- it is my daughters so was trying to find out a few things. I got some some great information from this site so thought I'd pass on what I learned--REALLY difficult.

So, the two brake-light bulbs were out (the centre one light up). The Mazda owners manual said nothing about the brake lights--not even in the fuse panels. This site clarified a lot of the problems that should have been in the manual (a reminder NOT to buy a Mazda). The horn worked. So, i decided the fuses were OK, even though the manual did not list any fuses for the brake lights. Since the centre brake light worked, I assumed the brake switch was OK. Also, though I thought it very unusual that both of the bulbs would burn out at the same time, I found that that was the case with others on this site. So I checked the bulbs, and sure enough, BOTH were burned out. Likely a poor electrical design. I replaced the bulbs and all is well--used Canadian Tire bulb 7443.

I think sites such as this should allow a simple followup to help others--rather than having to join a site that I may never use again (and divulge information I don't want to divulge).

[Zuluwun]

I am logging in here with great difficulty. Just thought that this site might benefit from my experience--the site did help me but logging on to help others is a real chore (not ulkike similar sites). I do not own the car-- it is my daughters so was trying to find out a few things. I got some some great information from this site so thought I'd pass on what I learned--REALLY difficult.

So, the two brake-light bulbs were out (the centre one light up). The Mazda owners manual said nothing about the brake lights--not even in the fuse panels. This site clarified a lot of the problems that should have been in the manual (a reminder NOT to buy a Mazda). The horn worked. So, i decided the fuses were OK, even though the manual did not list any fuses for the brake lights. Since the centre brake light worked, I assumed the brake switch was OK. Also, though I thought it very unusual that both of the bulbs would burn out at the same time, I found that that was the case with others on this site. So I checked the bulbs, and sure enough, BOTH were burned out. Likely a poor electrical design. I replaced the bulbs and all is well--used Canadian Tire bulb 7443.

I think sites such as this should allow a simple followup to help others--rather than having to join a site that I may never use again (and divulge information I don't want to divulge).

If I read your post in an utterly sarcastic tone, it makes sense.

[flyer99]

If I read your post in an utterly sarcastic tone, it makes sense.

So, try reading it as it was intended. I was just looking for a simple way to pass on information to others--you know, trying to give back a bit :-)

[Zuluwun]

So, try reading it as it was intended. I was just looking for a simple way to pass on information to others--you know, trying to give back a bit :-)

Then it makes less sense.

Condescension of a brand because you had a hard time troubleshooting a pair of burnt out bulbs?
Why would you think that the horn and brake lights are on the same fuse?
The manual specifies a tail light fuse in the PJB.
Why on earth would you think it's more likely for a fuse to blow than a filament? or even 2 filaments?

I'm all for giving back but don't make it sound like SUCH an ordeal to take 5 min to sign up and post that your bulbs burnt out because your bulbs burnt out... If you didn't want to divulge your hard earned information, we have a sticky thread for bulb numbers. We implicitly encourage follow up to problems people ask about but it's ultimately up to the user to do so.

Oh, and welcome to TM3.

[flyer99]

Then it makes less sense.

Condescension of a brand because you had a hard time troubleshooting a pair of burnt out bulbs?
Why would you think that the horn and brake lights are on the same fuse?
The manual specifies a tail light fuse in the PJB.
Why on earth would you think it's more likely for a fuse to blow than a filament? or even 2 filaments?

I'm all for giving back but don't make it sound like SUCH an ordeal to take 5 min to sign up and post that your bulbs burnt out because your bulbs burnt out... If you didn't want to divulge your hard earned information, we have a sticky thread for bulb numbers. We implicitly encourage follow up to problems people ask about but it's ultimately up to the user to do so.

Oh, and welcome to TM3.

Suggest you read response #8 which I found helpful. If it is not factual, no one noticed or said anything.

You are too sensitive or have a chip on your shoulder. This is ridiculous and will be my last post and last visit here. You talk about "condescension"---ah, forget it.

[Zuluwun]

I am logging in here with great difficulty. Just thought that this site might benefit from my experience--the site did help me but logging on to help others is a real chore (not ulkike similar sites). I do not own the car-- it is my daughters so was trying to find out a few things. I got some some great information from this site so thought I'd pass on what I learned--REALLY difficult.

So, the two brake-light bulbs were out (the centre one light up). The Mazda owners manual said nothing about the brake lights--not even in the fuse panels. This site clarified a lot of the problems that should have been in the manual (a reminder NOT to buy a Mazda). The horn worked. So, i decided the fuses were OK, even though the manual did not list any fuses for the brake lights. Since the centre brake light worked, I assumed the brake switch was OK. Also, though I thought it very unusual that both of the bulbs would burn out at the same time, I found that that was the case with others on this site. So I checked the bulbs, and sure enough, BOTH were burned out. Likely a poor electrical design. I replaced the bulbs and all is well--used Canadian Tire bulb 7443.

I think sites such as this should allow a simple followup to help others--rather than having to join a site that I may never use again (and divulge information I don't want to divulge).

Of course I'm condescending to people who complain like that. Don't tell me you can't take someone calling you out on that kind of behaviour.

Thank you for answering my second question, if only you had such ready answers for the rest of them. Hope you stick around, you could learn some things from a community like this.

[kaZoomm]

I just replaced both 7443 bulbs (Sylvania 2-pack $4.99 at crappy tire). On the weekend I had removed my back bumper to replace backup sensors that I installed 5 years ago (They didn't like operating in winter temperatures any more) with newer ones that have a better operating range. To remove the bumper, you have to unplug the taillights - and I know that the brake/tailight bulbs lightly tapped against the signal lights on their way out. Old bulbs are brittle enough, that the light tap broke both filaments in each 7443 bulb (but the signal bulbs were ok).

I finally noticed the problem when 3 cars flashed their highbeams at me on my first night drive.

[mikhar]

might be your brake switch like flippy said.. if so... let me know lol... I have a spare one since I thought that was the issue on my car... and that was definitely not the case lol.......

Did you find the cure to your break light problem? I ask because I have the same problem and can't find a solution. Fuses are all good, bulbs are all good and wiring is intact and good.

[mikhar]

Hey guys, so I have a '05 Mazda3 GS, bought it back in July, just noticed this past weekend that the 1st and 3rd rear brake lights dont light up when i push on the brakes. The middle light will light up, but the others won't.

I'm not sure if anyone else has come across this problem, I know some people have had similar issues with their lights...but anyone come across this exact same issue, or no what the cause of it may be?

any help is appreciated, i hope i dont have to end up paying dollars to fix the circuits. hopefully its just bulbs...



Did you find the cure to your break light problem? I ask because I have the same problem and can't find a solution. Fuses are all good, bulbs are all good and wiring is intact and good.

[mikhar]

Hi Guys,

I'm having the exact same problem. I have replaced the bulbs, checked all the fuses and replaced the brake switch. The cruise control and the horn works also. The rear high mounted brake light works the ones on either end do not?

Any ideas?

I have the exact problem as you, did you find a solution to this problem because I'm at the point where I'm about to take it in to the dealer and spend big bucks to get this thing fixed. I also just replaced the break switch.

Cheers!