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Tag light issues

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:15 pm
by Sookie
Hello,
I have a 2012 Kizashi with around 94,000 miles. I noticed that both of my tag lights were out so I replaced them with new LED bulbs. However, now neither of them will work. There is no corrosion in the housing and everything seems to be plugged in snuggly. I am not sure what the issue is. Has this happened to anyone else? If you have any info or suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:24 am
by BLyons
Did you try flipping the bulbs around?

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:31 am
by Sookie
BLyons, I did try that.

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:43 pm
by WESHOOT2
First check the fuse.
Then try a pair of stock bulbs.
Then......

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:54 pm
by Sookie
Weshoot2, sorry I forgot to type that I did check the fuse. Fuse wasn’t blown and looked like new. I have not tried the stock bulbs, thanks for the advice

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 4:07 pm
by WESHOOT2
Swap or replace the fuse; they can look good, pass a meter test, but fail under current load.
Stupid fuses.....

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 7:16 pm
by Sookie
Thanks! I will try that

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:30 pm
by SAEED_KIZZY
Sookie wrote:Hello,
I have a 2012 Kizashi with around 94,000 miles. I noticed that both of my tag lights were out so I replaced them with new LED bulbs. However, now neither of them will work. There is no corrosion in the housing and everything seems to be plugged in snuggly. I am not sure what the issue is. Has this happened to anyone else? If you have any info or suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Power for rear tail light and license plate are the same, came from Fuse 53(TAIL) on J/B so if you have no problem with tail light fuse has no problem. my guess is lossy connection on tag light try to use multi meter or voltage tester and check both power(RED/GRN) wire and also GND(BLK) wire.
also LED bulb usually has polarity, check it.
this is wiring diagram
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Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:39 pm
by Sookie
Awesome! Thank you. Thank you for the diagram.

Re: Tag light issues

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:02 pm
by KuroNekko
I suspect it's the LED bulbs. Are they name brand quality ones or generic cheapo stuff from China? LEDs are certainly not all created equally and there is a huge difference in the quality, reliability, and longevity of LEDs. As someone with extensive conversion of LEDs in their car, I can speak from personal experience that the cheap crap from China I paid little for fail quickly while the expensive bulbs from Japan and the US have held up perfectly for several years. I also have LED brake light bulbs and recently upgraded my reverse lights to LEDs. Both sets are Sylvania ZEVOS that come with a lifetime warranty. They aren't cheap but you get what you pay for.

As for identifying the cause of the issue, the others have already offered the best test: put the stock incandescent bulbs back in to test. If they work, you know it's the LED bulbs at fault. I advise getting quality LEDs from Philips or Sylvania specifically made for license plate illumination. I've seen them sold at AutoZone. Many Festoon LED bulbs are actually made for cabin interior lighting and are too bright for license plate usage, providing way more light than needed. It just makes the back end look odd at night with that much white light on the ground. I made that mistake with my LED bulbs for my license plate but these JDM bulbs have been working reliably for several years.