I have a 1992 Hyundai Lantra. The brake lights on the car are not working. I have checked the fuses and they seem fine. If anyone knows what else could be causing the brake lights not to work then could you please tell me.

Thank you

Does your car have a centre brake light? Is that working?

Try pulling the fuse and replacing it. Sometimes fuses can go and damage won't be readily visible.


Try checking the bulbs themselves - Its rare to have both burn out at once but it can happen. They have to be removed from inside the trunk - your owner's manual should tell you how to remove and replace the bulbs. There is usually a plastic cover that either snaps off or is held in place with a thumscrew. The bulb assembly - wires and socket will either pull out or twist out. Be carefull not to pull it out by the wires.

In the tail light assembly there will be at least three bulbs - running lights/turn signal, brake and backup. Most times when a bulb goes it's quite visible - the bulb will look burned on one side. These are standard items you can get at any auto supplier and most big box retailers.

If that seems OK, Look up under the dash and see if you can locate the switch that is activated when you press the brake pedal - its a pretty simple affair but it may be stuck (in which case it will have to be replaced) or out of adjustment - it should be set to activate as soon as the brake pedal moves more than about a quarter inch.

Hope this helps - if none of these do anything its probabaly a wiring problem. If you are handy with tools you can use a voltage tester to see if there is power going to the rear lights, otherwise it sounds like shop time.

Gord

Have you checked the globes, it's seems pretty obvious, but you would be surprised as to how many people forget.

If you have checked the globes, the next thing that I would do would be to bridge the brake light switch, which is located on a bracket that is fixed onto the brake pedal bracket, the brake lights work on a switch that activates the lights when the plunger is released.

Disconnect the plug to the brake light switch and then bridge the two terminals that run to your wiring harness with a paper clip.

Let us know how you go!

Hi guys..
i have a similar problem,
my brake light isnt working (the one on the rear window) .. and oh, btw i have 2000 accent .
i have been trying to change the the new light bulbs :blush: ... but... pathetically i cant even open the plastic cover... i have tried to look in the owner's manual, but they didnt mention anything about it..
can anyone help me with this?? :)

Noe, I don`t have this feature on my car, but I would imagine your high-level brake light contains LED`s rather than bulbs.......if this is the case, than it will be sealed-for-life & non-serviceable!.

Do both the normal (bulb-containing) brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed?. If not, this could be the reason the current is not reaching the 3rd. unit.........replace the bad bulb/s.

If they both work normally, then any local auto-electrician, not just the dealership, can sort you out cheaply.
Cheers,
Nick.

Your High level mount brake light is not LED in the standard Elantra range only the ones with the factory spoiler. Any way to change open the hatch if it is a hatchback and under the glass window your see a plastic removable cover, pop this cover off and you'll get access to the wiring loom ( on some models the wiring loom also exposes the bulb unit). Once you disconnect the loom from the light unscrew the unit and replace the bulb , which shoul be a bayonet twist globe.

This post has been edited by johnc: Mar 29 2005, 07:33 AM

Same problem here on a '99 Sonata. For some strange reason there are 4 terminals on my brake switch connection so I'm not sure which ones to bridge with a paper clip - I did try a few at random but got some sparks for my efforts! Is there some kind of relay involved as well and why would they run them through a relay if so? It probably is the switch itself but seems strange that it would go jsut like that! I've never had another car with a similar problem.

Just realised that 2 terminals must be for cruise control....I just posted this in the "other" forum so will duplicate it here just in case someone is reading!


Hi,

Hope someone can help me with a similar problem. I have a 1999 Sonata 2.5(UK model) and my brake lights are gone too! (All 3 of them including the spoiler mounted led one). I checked the bulbs and the filaments are intact - next I checked the interior fuse box and the STOP LT fuse is ok(I assume this is the one relating to the brakes!) It's gotta be the brake light switch I thought so I investigated and found there were 4 terminals to my surprise - even the guy in the car spares shop was puzzled. It wasn't till later that I realised that 2 of the terminals must be for the cruise control which still disengages when you press the brake pedal. Is it possible that half the switch is bust?? I hope that is the case as if it is a wiring problem that is going to be difficult to find. I know the easy thing to do would be to replace the switch but it would be annoying if that were not the problem...anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

Uh, what happened to "Bob Mob's" original querry? Seems rude to usurp someones original post, and start a new one?
Bob Mob, if the fuses are all definately OK, I would check the brake light switch. It is (usually) located near, and pushed up against the brake pedal arm. It should have power (be able to illuminate a 12volt test light) on one wire, and connect that power to the other wire when the pedal is pushed.

I'm just going to go ahead and replace the darn switch! A new one is about £17 which is pretty outrageous for something that other manufacturers would charge <£10. Will let you know the results this weekend!

Noe: I am in the same predicament. How does one access the third eye brake
light (the one on the rear window) in order to replace the burned out bulb?
Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for any info. you might have.

I didn't want to start a new thread just for my trivial enquiry and bob's post is 2 years old so perhaps he has sold his car by now!

Not sure how to access the third brake light myself - sorry! I can't even get to my pollen filter despite almost pulling the glovebox out of its mountings!

This post has been edited by charliepie: Sep 21 2006, 05:09 PM