Drivers side both bulbs for brake light are not working

Hello,

Does the center light work? Here are is a wiring diagrams of the brake light system you can see it is straight forward. Fuse check the stop light fuse then test through the brake light switch. Here are two guides I think will help you:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-test-light-circuit-tester

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/brake-lights-not-working

You are losing power somewhere. You can fix it with our help.

Check out the diagrams (below).

Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

Cheers, Ken

My brake light does not come on when i brake. the light works when light are on but not when i brake. changed bulbs, two brands checked wires and fuse in panel. right side works, left does not. is it cheaper to go buy the whole housing at a junk yard? I am trying to chase down the problem.

No problem, lets use a test light to see where you are losing the power for the light.

Here is a guide to help us get started.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-test-light-circuit-tester

I would test the outgoing from the hazard satich this is where a lot of failures occur.

Please let us know what you find. I'm interested to see what it is.

Cheers, Ken

I have been having problems with the passenger brake light burning out now both lights don't work fuses are all good the third eye had the wires pulled out from a plug under the dash somewhere and I don't know where they go

If you replace the bulbs, will the light work?

No I tried this already

If the fuse is good, chances are the brake light switch is bad. Check it to see if there is power to it. Also, tell me this, if you start the engine, can you shift from park?

I lost the manual to the car and now i do not know what color or number i change for my brake fuse that does not work.

Yes I can shift from park and drive fine but where could I find the break light switch

Free owners manual download straight from GM.

https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/1999/chevrolet/malibu/1999_chevrolet_malibu_owners.pdf

The fuse is labeled Stop and is a 15 amp in the drivers side fuse panel.

It is at the top of the brake pedal (under the dash).

I have checked all the fuses and checked all the bulbs. All of the rear lighting works except for the 2 rear brake lights. Even the third brake light in the rear window works. All turn signals, reverse lights and normal rear lights work. I have read that this problem can be because of a bad circuit board by the light sockets but since all the other lights work is this the case? I have already read that the brake line wires come from the brake switch and go through the turn signal switch and to replace that and since the rear window brake bypasses the turn signal switch it still works. Is this the likely cause?

Thanks for your help,

Josh

Yup. The center high-mount light doesn't go through the signal switch but the two rear lights do. Before you replace the multifunction switch, check the connections and be sure the terminals aren't stretched or overheated. Overheating isn't common on those because the circuit is never turned on for long periods of time like a head light circuits, but to have both sides fail at the same time, a loose connection would be suspect.

If the high mount stop lights are working, it would be a straight forward problem. They are linked together and since both lights are not working, it can only mean you have an open circuit somewhere between the splice pack (under right front seat) to the light bulb sockets or a fault with the bulb or socket.

Do you have any test light or DVOM to test power source?

Sorry, I don't see the circuit going through light switches, am I getting the wrong information from our database?

So I see the connection running from the front left fuse panel into the brake switch and then from there into the splice pack. From there it goes to the high mount light and that one works which confirms that the brake switch and connections leading up to the splice pack are fine correct?

From there I see it running into the front and left rear light assemblies. I also see connections that run from the turn headlamp and wiper switch that also connect into the right wiring junction block which ultimatly ends up connecting to the right and left rear light assemblies. I think there may be a problem somewhere between there?

Also, since I will be buying a new car sometime next year and do not want to put money into this one. Is there a way to mickey mouse this situation? I don't care if the stop light works at the same time as my turn signal. Do you think it is possible to run wire from the splice pack directly to the rear light circuit? Or what would be the best option?

Thank you guys so much I appreciate this.

Josh

And yes I have a test light so where would be the best place to connect it to help me solve this issue?

Josh

Just purchased a used 1998 malibu ls from a dealership in Dec. of '05. When I took it off the lot the right side brake light was not working. Took it back and they "fixed" it for free. Its now one month later and just recently the ligth stopped working again. Rather than take it to the dealer and have them charge me an arm and a leg this time, I was hoping maybe I could get some suggestions to solve this problem. I realize that it might be a fuse gone out, or even an electrical problem. However, I do not have any diagrams so that I might track the problem myself. Any help that I might be able to get would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

GM has big problems with the circuit boards for the rear lighting on the Malibus. They are attached to the rear sockets, and tend to have contact problems.

The brake switch definitely is not bad if the high mount light works.

At the brake bulb, probe the Light Blue wire and ground the other end of test light to ground, get someone to depress the brake pedal and if test light lights up, it means the power supply is good.

If you have power supply, probe the Black wire and if test light does not light up, you have a faulty buld or socket or the bulb is not seated correctly.

thank you for your reply. I really do appreciate your help in this matter. I tried to locate the circuit board for the rear brake lights on my malibu and was unsuccessful. Are they tucked away and hidden in some " hard to reach, unless you have the right tool" place? Also, if chevy's factory installed circuit boards do cause problems on the malibu, is there perhaps a better built aftermarket part that can be purchased from autozone, or any other autoparts store? It would seem silly for me to keep going to the dealership and having them replace the problem causing circuit board with another factory default problem causing circuit board. Once again, thank you for your help in this matter.

What if you have power in both wires but the light still doesn't work?????

You need to start a new question, and PLEASE! list the engine size, transmission type, and mileage. We need that information to look up the correct wiring diagram, and to make generalizations for things affected by age and mileage. This was an old private conversation between just a few people. None of the other experts are going to see your addition of have a chance to reply. That doesn't get you the help you want.

I'm not sure what you mean by "both" wires. If you mean the 12 volt feed and the ground wire, if the ground wire has voltage, it has a break in it. That could be a corroded terminal where it is bolted to the body sheet metal, a corroded terminal in a connector, or a cut wire. Also, I can't see if you're using a test light or a digital voltmeter, where you have the test leads connected to, or anything else that could produce erroneous results.

1994 Silverado K2500 170.000 Miles...Rear Tail Lights Are Going all funky, Have parking lights, No Brake Lights, (when parking lights are on), Have Brake Lights when Parking Lights Are Off, Turn signals Flash rapidly, Hazard Lights Flash only in the front, Not The Rear......Ready To Blow This Truck Up,.....PLEASE HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!

You need to start a new question. You don't have the same model, and you didn't list the engine size. This was a private conversation between just a few people. The other experts who may be able to solve your problem won't even see your addition or have the chance to reply. That won't get you the help you need.