Why your rear lights may fail

While you drive at night, rear lights are the kind that ensure you are visible to other motorists following you. They can either be brake lights, those that light red when you step on the brake pedal, or the indicator lights that light mostly orange when you turn on the indicator knob to show the motorist behind you that you are about to turn.
However, it is a common scenario to drive behind a car on the road whose rear lights are not functional. It could be one side or both. This is not because they are aware of the situation and are hesitating to have their lights fixed, but sometimes they are actually not aware, something Rose Nankunda, a motorist, agrees with.
“When I was driving from Wandegeya to Bukoto, I did not know that one of my brake lights was not working. When I turned to Shell, Bukoto to refuel, I was tipped off by one of my friends who was driving behind me that my left brake light was defunct. I drove home and called my mechanic the next day to have it fixed,” Nankunda recalls.

Electrical circuit malfunction
Paul Kaganzi, a mechanic at Duke’s Garage in Naalya, Kampala, explains that rear lights are also known as tail lights. In some cases, they may fail to work because of the car’s electrical circuit problems or when your bulb has blown or when the bulb housing or shield has failed to perform as it ought to.
A bulb housing is the shell on your car that protects the bulb from external damage.
“As a motorist, there are maintenance ways you can follow to prevent your rear lights from getting defunct. If you are driving with a cracked rear light lens, it will allow moisture to enter through the crack and bring about short circuits or corrosion, which will prevent the bulbs from lighting,” Kaganzi explains.

Broken bulb shields
Similarly, Isaac Mugerwa, a mechanic, notes that when your bulb shield is partially or completely broken, it will attract and store water.
“The water will in turn get to the root of the bulb, join the positive and negative terminals of the bulb and eventually cause it to blow, which is sometimes hard to tell while driving,” Mugerwa observes.

Faulty wiring
Fred Kizza, a car light technician, observes that when your rear lights are not functional, it could be a pointer to a fault in the wiring system. The wiring from the fuse to the brake light knob and to the bulb socket within the bulb shield could be lose or faint. The wires could be old after using them for a long time and need replacement.

Blown up fuse
One of the other reasons why your rear lights could not be working is due to a blown fuse from the brake circuit or the fuse located in the car’s fuse box. While it may be hard for you to understand where the fuse or fuse box are, Kizza advises visiting a light technician to help you replace a blown fuse with a functional one.

Bad socket
According to knowhow, an online portal, if you have a single brake light out and the bulb is good, then the next step is to check the light socket itself. Brake light problems can include a socket whose connections are dirty or corroded, or one whose wiring has become worn to the point where it is only making an intermittent connection. Replacing a socket is as simple as snipping the old wires and splicing in the new unit, which is typically an inexpensive part to purchase.

How to maintain rear lights
Paul Kaganzi, a mechanic at Duke’s Garage in Naalya, Kampala, says to keep proper maintenance and functionality of your car rear or tail lights, carry out weekly or even daily checks by turning them on to be sure they work. You can do this by asking someone to step on the brake pedal and turn on the indicator knob as you stand behind the car facing the rear lights to monitor how they behave at regular intervals. He also suggests regular inspection of car light fuses for possible corrosion or soot build up and having them cleaned.