How to Locate and Remove Tail Lights on a Car

The tail light system on your car informs other drivers of your location and what you are doing. The brake lights, reverse lights, parking lights and turn indicator lights all make up the tail light system. You will get a ticket for having a broken tail light, so make sure to fix it immediately if you notice one is out.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver

1. Locate the tail lights by looking at the back of your car. The tail lights are on each back corner of the car. The lenses for the tail lights are plastic and usually red, orange and clear.

2. Look at the lens cover to see if there are screws on the outside. If there are, use your screwdriver to loosen the screws, remove the lens and expose the bulb.

3. Open the trunk of the vehicle to locate an access panel for the tail lights if there are no screws on the outside. The access panel will be on the inside of the trunk in the same position as the tail lights. Usually there's a plastic cover to open for accessing the bulbs. The plastic cover is sometimes hard to find when it's under trunk carpet, so look closely.

4. Unscrew the plastic cover to access the bulb. Turn the screws counter clockwise to remove.

5. Expose the bulb and turn it counter clockwise to loosen, and then pull straight up on the bulb to remove it.

6. Consult your owner's manual if you have problems locating the tail lights or cannot figure out how to open the access panel.

Tips & Warnings

• The bulb may be hot if the car was recently driven. Use a cloth to remove the bulb if it is hot.

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