Reverse Lights Not Working
Your car’s lights let other road users know what you’re doing. Of all the lights on your car, the reverse lights are the most important. But what should you do if your reverse lights aren’t working properly?
What are the common causes of this serious problem?
And more importantly, how can you solve it? We’ll tell you all about how the system works and give you some troubleshooting tips so you can figure out what’s going on and get it working again.
How the reverse lights work
If you want to solve the problem, you need to know how it works. As for reversing your lights, it’s a pretty simple process so we’ll explain it here.
Start by putting your car in reverse. Whether your vehicle has an automatic or manual transmission, the gear selector on your transmission will shift into the correct gear. As you turn, so will the backlight switch. Once you engage reverse gear, everything will align to complete the circuit. Current flows through a fuse or relay, turning on the backlights. Shifting into reverse opens the switch, cutting off power to the system and turning off the headlights.
Why the backlights don’t work
If your backlights don’t work, that’s a serious problem. But to find out, you need to know what’s causing it. We understand this, which is why we’ve highlighted the 5 most likely reasons why your backlights aren’t working properly.
1) Blown Light Bulb
This probably isn’t a problem if none of your backup lights are working, but it could be if you just replaced all of your bulbs or if only one or two of your back lights aren’t working.
Luckily, this is one of the easiest problems to fix and it doesn’t take a lot of money or effort to determine if this is the problem.
2) Blown Fuse/Relay
If your backlights work fine one day and completely stop working the next, you may have a blown fuse or damaged relay somewhere in the circuit. This is a fairly common problem, but one that many people overlook.
Rule out the simple ones before tackling more complex issues. Few things are as simple as a fuse or relay. Electricity must flow through these components for the backlights to function.
3) Faulty Reverse Light Switch
When you put your car in reverse, your headlights don’t magically come on. The reverse light switch completes a circuit, providing power to all of the headlights at the rear of your vehicle. It’s a very simple design, but very effective.
However, if the switch fails, it won’t be able to complete the circuit that turns on your headlights. They can fail for a variety of reasons, and when they do, you won’t be able to turn on the backlights.
4) Wiring Issues
For your backup lights to work, power must be supplied to the bulbs, and wires carry the power from point A to point B. Wiring issues can range from crossed wires to broken wires, and wiring problems can occur in a variety of ways.
Various components can short out, the bulb can break, or they can simply prevent the current from reaching its intended destination. Unfortunately, wiring issues are notoriously difficult to track down.
5) Faulty Gear Selector Switch
If you can’t shift your car into reverse, the problem probably isn’t with your headlights. The gear selector allows you to control this part of your vehicle. If it’s not working properly, you might not be able to shift into reverse at all.
If this happens, it’s an entirely different troubleshooting process, but you should rule this out when trying to repair your reverse lights.