Tail Light Flickering/Failure with LED Conversion - Failed LED Bulb Replacement

Electricalbeginner✓ OP Confirmed

Problem

One tail light LED bulb stopped working properly after 4 years of use. With the key in the ignition at ON position and lights turned on, the affected light would shut off and flicker. The bulb would illuminate when pressing the brake pedal but turn off when released. Swapping the lamp failure retractor module did not help.

One tail light not illuminating with headlights on and ignition at ON positionAffected light flickers intermittentlyLight works momentarily when brake pedal is pressed but turns off when releasedProblem follows the specific LED bulb to any socket (not socket-specific)Working LED bulbs function correctly in the affected socket

Root Cause

The 1157 LED bulb itself had failed/degraded after approximately 4 years of use. Low-quality LED bulbs (SuperBrightLEDs 1157 red tower LEDs) degraded over time, causing intermittent electrical contact and flickering. The problem was confirmed to be bulb-specific since the defective bulb exhibited the same behavior in any socket, while known-good LED bulbs worked fine in the problem socket.

Confidence

High confidence — Original poster confirmed this resolved the issue

View Original Thread →Posted June 2025 on SupraForums.com