ybell Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Hi everyone, probably a very quick question. My "brake light failing" light came on the dash a couple of days ago on my 2002 GS430. And, sure enough, the passenger side light does not come on when I brake. However, that light does come on when the lights are on, just not the extra bright brake setting when the brake is depressed. So, my question is: what part do I replace? thanks! ~yb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cduluk Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Take a close look at the bulb. Does it have one filament or two? Most tail lights utilize a bulb with 2 filaments, one illuminating during normal nighttime driving, with the other filament illuminating to add brightness during braking. However some tail lights just have one bulb with one filament, with the cars computer controlling how much voltage goes to the single filament controlling how bright it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ybell Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 It's a two filament bulb. Thanks for answering - I'm assuming that I just need to get a new bulb. I'll let you know if that doesn't fix the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cduluk Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It's a two filament bulb. Thanks for answering - I'm assuming that I just need to get a new bulb. I'll let you know if that doesn't fix the problem. Ah yes that's the issue. During normal nighttime driving one of the filaments is illuminated, and when you hit the brakes, the other filament illuminates to increase brightness in the housing. My guess is that the second filament is burned out, so replacing the bulb should work! <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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