Replace A Brake Light Bulb on a Chrysler Crossfire
Swapping the brake - or tail - lights is an easy yet necessary job when a bulb fails. You don't want to be that guy on the roadway who's too lazy to replace burnt out brake lights and makes driving behind him a dangerous and nerve-wracking experience.
As in many cars, the bulb in question has a pair of filaments - one for the tail light that's normally illuminated at night, and one for the brake light that illuminates when stopping. If one or the other burns out, the warning indicator on the dash will be triggered.
Note that some Crossfire owners choose to replace their tail light assemblies with LEDs. This article specifically covers the stock bulbs, and not an LED assembly.
Lastly, this article was written from the perspective of a Crossfire coupe. The roadster requires a slightly different procedure for accessing the bulbs, but the process is otherwise the same.
- Socket wrench set with a 10mm hexagonal socket (optional, but recommended)
- Flashlight (optional, but useful)
The warning lamp on the dash should illuminate when any of the exterior lights on your car burn out: including the low- and high-beam headlights, the front "eyelid" parking lights, fog lights, front and read sidemarkers,turn signal indicators, back up lights, license plate lights, and of course the tail and brake lights.
Disconnect the Battery
Before working with any part of the car's electrical system, it's always a good idea to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Loosen the connector with the 10mm socket wrench and move it out of the way where it won't accidentally come in contact with the terminal.
Locate the Tail Light Assembly
On the coupe, accessing the bulb is extremely easy. Along the interior lining of the trunk are small covers on both the driver and passenger side. Simply pull it up and out to access the tail light assembly.
You'll see three different bulbs making up the tail light assembly. A) is the tail/brake light; B) is the turn signal light; C) is the reverse/back-up light.
The brake/tail light bulb is the outermost of the three. Simply twist it counterclockwise and you can pull the assembly out.
For reference, I'm looking at the passenger side in this picture.
Pull the bulb towards you and remove it by rotating it counterclockwise and pulling it out of the socket. Take note of which filament in the bulb is "up" before you remove it (you won't be able to properly seat the bulb incorrectly, but this just makes it easier). After you remove the old bulb, put it somewhere apart from your replacements so you don't confuse the two.
Install the New Bulb
Now we just work backwards. The new bulb has two small nubs near the base that align to grooves in the socket. Insert it and twist it clockwise to ensure it's nice and snug. If you took note of the orientation of the filaments and replaced it the same way, you shouldn't have to struggle at all - otherwise, turn it 180 and insert it the other way.
Insert the new bulb assembly into the tail light socket and turn it clockwise to ensure it's properly seated. Provided you didn't disconnect or move any wires, you're almost done! Replace the small cover in the lining and reconnect the negative battery terminal.
Make sure you start the car and ensure the warning lamp stays out on the dash, even after depressing the brake pedal a couple times. Have a friend confirm both the tail and brake filaments work as expected.
If you disconnected the battery, the BAS/ESP warning lamp will illuminate. Reset it by turning the steering wheel all the way to the right, then all the way to the left, then back to center. It should turn off after a few seconds.
Stock tail light replacement bulbs: Part #7528
There are 1 Comments.
Say Something.I know how to replace bulbs. My socket is cracked and won't hold the bulb in place. Where can I get a new socket or the tri bulb set of wires?
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Written by:cpeterson
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