Replace The Dome Light Bulbs on a Ford Fiesta ST
At some point, you're going to have to replace the dome light bulbs in your Fiesta ST. In my case, I didn't like the warm color temperature of the OEM bulbs. This particular article will cover replacing the OEM bulbs with LED equivalents, but the procedure is the same regardless of what kind of bulb you choose.
This process took me about an hour because I had to figure out most of it myself. As with any project like this, make sure you keep track of the different types of screws and where they go.
Please Note: Fiesta STs with a sun roof will have a different dome light for the front of the car. These instructions will work for the rear dome light regardless.
- What I did: 194 LED Bulbs x8 (That's a set of 8, but you only need 3 per dome light, or 6 total for the car)
- Or: 194 Incandescent Bulbs x10 (Again, you only really need 3 per dome light, or 6 total for the car)
Removing the Dome Light
For the next few steps, I'll be referring to the "front" of the dome light as the part that is closest to the front of the car, and the "back" of the dome light as the part that is closest to the back of the car.
Pry one of the back corners away from the ceiling and use a plastic trim tool to pry the dome light downward from the metal pan it's clipped to.
Now pry the other back corner away from the metal pan the same way until the back of the light is hanging by the power plug.
Removing the Old Bulbs
Use a skinny object to press the bulb out of the socket from the back of the fixture. (I'm holding it crooked in this picture, but you should press straight down through the hole.)
Install the New Bulbs
Plug the dome light back into the car to test out the bulbs. If you're using LED bulbs, they may not work the first time. If they don't, take them out of the sockets and turn them around the other way. LEDs are picky about which way they're inserted.
Reassemble the Dome Light
Now that you've tested the bulbs to make sure they work (you did that, right?), it's time to reassemble the whole thing.
Reassemble the map light fixtures. The bulbs I used were directional, and their shape interfered with the silver reflector that normally goes between both halves of the fixture. I decided to omit the silver reflectors when I reassembled the fixtures.
When you're reinserting the map light fixtures into their frames, make sure you line up the little nub with the trough in the frame. Failure to do this will result in map lights that don't pivot properly.
Press the front cover back onto the dome light. Start from one side of the middle, then do the other side, then work your way out.
Reinstalling the Dome Light
Insert the two tabs into the front part of the hole first (the part closest to the front of the car).
Then, plug the fixture in and snap it back up into place. There's not much slack in the plug, so it might be tricky. I had to only put the right tab into the ceiling, plug in the light, then maneuver the left tab into the ceiling before pressing the whole thing back into place.
Enjoy your new bulbs! The LEDs I chose are daylight balanced and slightly brighter than the original incandescent bulbs.
Overall, the hardest part of this process was prying the cover off the bottom of the dome light without breaking it. I also learned the hard way about the little nub on the side of the map light fixtures. Anyway, I hope this helped!
There are 3 Comments.
Say Something.Thanks very much. It's hard to first one, as I discovered when removed my Sienna's roof rack.
Wonderful help. I have an SEL and not an ST, so the fixtures were the same, only they weren't black. THANKS!
Very Nice just bought non-sunroof ST. I'd like to mod to defeat door switch. I'm just happier in the dark and can't believe there is no manual switch except for the map lights, and those push buttons don't give you a clue until after you've exited/closed door to observe timer.
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Written by:BagOfArms
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