display message "check rear lights"
 

:icon_confused:

ok I keep getting this message, but when I check rear lights everything works. Then I take a look at the rear window brake light. When I apply the brakes the light always works. When I take a look at the brake housing, no question its loose. I tried getting a tighter seal with tape and what not. Invariably it loosens and i get the intermittent message again....check rear light.

When you take your foot off the brake the message goes away. No doubt something is loose. But what I would like to know is, what do I need to do to fix this problem once and for all?

While not critical as the brake light always works...it is annoying having the message come up on the display....any suggestions?

My "traditional message" in that department is "BULB FAIL REAR."

One thing I've found is that you can often get this message as the bulbs themselves age. On other cars I never cared about replacing bulbs in pairs, either, but now routinely do that whenever I need to replace a bulb on this car.

The brake lamp in the rear window uses W5W bulbs (or it does in my 1999) and if you have one of these that's intermittently wonky or getting some inexplicable "age related current variability" that the monitor picks something up you can get the failure messages. You can also disconnect this, temporarily, to see if your frequency of occurrence drops significantly.

Good luck in sorting this out. With any luck a refreshing of the bulbs might just fix it.

brian i thought about the bulbs in the light....but you know they light so brightly im hard pressed to think thats the problem. also im a little confused if i disconnect won't the light go out permanently?

your describing a "bulb" message..I am not getting that...just "check rear light"...if it were the bulbs wouldn't i get the bulb message you described?

when i tape it more securely to the back window....i don't get it....it also goes on when i am climbing up hills...suggesting loose wiring or something like that either way i appreciate your input.

For some completely unexplained reason a failing brake light switch and the cruise control switch on the center console can both invoke the 'check rear lights' message. Leave your cruise button off for a couple days and see if that affects the message. If not, might consider changing the brake light switch.

Jagjunky,

As you're learning from the responses here, when it comes to spurious warnings there can often be multiple causes.

I agree that my issue and yours are probably not the same, but I've been amazed over time at how often "similar, but not the same" issues can be resolved by the same methods.

Please do report back regarding what you find and what eventually solves it.

thanks brian....this is not a major problem just an annoyance....now i have another problem as of last night which will require a new thread

Other lights?
 

thanks for this...i will check it out

well brian...with the radio off and no noise...when i step on the brake pedal i now hear a definite clicking noise (with the car running). the sound seems to be coming from the center console or left side of the glove box. it sounds like a relay...i will check the license plate bulb next...as suggested...otherwise rear lights i believe are all working when i step on the brake.

Is this noise normal when stepping on the brake?

jagjunky,

What you're hearing is most likely the shift interlock being released. I can definitely hear this in my car when things are "silent" in the cabin. You can't shift out of park until you've depressed the brake pedal.

thanks for that one....brian.......your right on ......no noise when you are actually driving and hitting the brake.
the good news is i think i may have fixed it....Right after checking the license plate light (it works) I took a closer look at the window break light itself. It is loose ok . The previous owner had it taped to the window with also a bead of black rubber cement. I wedged a brass door hinge underneath . Its tight now. Took the car for a few rides up the hill into town this afternoon and the check rear light message has not come up.

I am thinking the rubber cement and sticky tape must have loosened up over the summer. I also have used the heat a number of times. I hope my fix works.

also thanks for your input (others also). I really need some help with my current dilemma, so please i reallt would appreciate any feedback you can give on my other thread "between a rock and a hard place".

Hi
After i bought the car i start to fix all the electrical problem
Gearbox fault
Check rear light and all other warning messages
Solution?
Clean all contacts with a contact cleaner spray
Over the year the contact get rusty. I leave near to the sea and the salted air is always a problem.
Best regards

I had the same fault coming up every now and again....it turned out to be a rear running light / side light bulb that had an intermittent fault...changed the bulb and solved the problem :)

If one bulb has a brass colored base and others are silver (steel) colored, the difference in resistance is enough to cause this. Replacing bulbs should fix it.

amazing i will check it out....thought i solved the problem by bracing the rear break window light....not so....still get message.

looks like it was one of the rear side lights....changed both bulbs.....i have not had a check rear lights message in 5 days....lets see....and thanks again to all

I hope that works...also the window break light is not part of the check rear light function...I know it sounds weird but that is what the documentation says...I am having the same problem and it is making me nuts and angry :-)

correct found this out through process of elimination....do what i did change the rear side bulbs, once i did this i no longer get the message....or have not in over two weeks now.

changing the bulbs, didn't work for me...cruise control switch is fine as well and didn't have an impact by having it on or off...the problem seems to occur more as the car is warmed up...i am thinking it is rear brake light socket housing...next step is replacing that...let's see what happens...my thought is as it warms up some of the metal connectivity must be faulting or causing a resistance change?

I had the same message show up tonight in a snow storm. I'd flipped on the rear fog lights. Within 10 minutes the "check rear lights" came on. I clicked them off and the message went away. Don't know if that helps. It might give you another place to look.