Reverse lights

[Matsu]

Do cops remove the reverse lights?? On my 2011 SSV there are no bulbs in there at all.

 

[medicop]

I suppose they could to avoid someone being able to tell if you are backing up or changing direction. We used to have cut off switches for brake lights.

 

[RichardCranium]

Depending on the state, inspection laws might not require reverse lights. For example, here in North Carolina you do not need reverse lights to pass inspection.

I wonder if they were just missed after removing strobes, or maybe even the assigned officer took out some super bright LED's they purchased themselves (and didn't replace with a standard bulb). Either way, I'd put some bright LED's in there.......love mine.

 

[iLikeEggs]

Likely just pulled out when they were taking the strobes out. No department will remove reverse lights to be stealthy. The liabilities are too high. What if they were in a parking lot , backed up and then flattened someone because they didn't know the cop vehicle was backing up? Lawsuit city.

 

[medicop]

Since the rear back up light and brake lights flash from the factory they may have removed them if they didn't want white to the rear or they were interfering with colored strobe/LEDs in that housing.

 

[Joeyhosmanole]

I suppose they could to avoid someone being able to tell if you are backing up or changing direction. We used to have cut off switches for brake lights.

Howdy Mike, I hope you're still active here and can help me with this. Or if another member sees this and can help feel free to chime in.

I bought a 2011 SSV and it appears that it may have had a switch to kill the brake lights like Mike mentioned.

Problem is I see no visible switch and have no brake lights. Fuses, tail lights, bulbs are good to go.

Any help you can provide for finding where the kill switch may have been wired is greatly appreciated.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Howdy Mike, I hope you're still active here and can help me with this. Or if another member sees this and can help feel free to chime in.

I bought a 2011 SSV and it appears that it may have had a switch to kill the brake lights like Mike mentioned.

Problem is I see no visible switch and have no brake lights. Fuses, tail lights, bulbs are good to go.

Any help you can provide for finding where the kill switch may have been wired is greatly appreciated.

Does your cruise control work? If not, you might just have a bad brake switch.

 

[Joeyhosmanole]

Does your cruise control work? If not, you might just have a bad brake switch.

HiHoeSilver, thanks for your comment.

Cruise control works great.

 

[iLikeEggs]

Does your cruise control work? If not, you might just have a bad brake switch.

Agree. Either bad switch or the connector somehow came off the switch. Brake light switches are cheap and only take a minute to replace.

 

[spectralen]

Take a test light to the switch and the wires going to and from. You should be able to eliminate or confirm the whole switch area as a problem with a test light.

 

[Joeyhosmanole]

Take a test light to the switch and the wires going to and from. You should be able to eliminate or confirm the whole switch area as a problem with a test light.

Thanks for your comment.

Did just that, beginning at the brake light and working forward.

Found that the brake light is the light blue wire going to the top bulb in the terminal marked "Major".

Interestingly, the tail light wires including the light blue brake light wire trace to a harness going into a TFCM near the spare tire, which is a Trailer Light and Fuel Pump Control Module.

No voltage on the light blue wire after the FTCM when the brake is pressed. But on the other side reads 12v going into the FTCM on the light blue/white wire when brake is pressed.

So I jumped a splice clamp from the light blue/white going into the FTCM directly to the light blue wire going into the "major" terminal on the top bulb on eash side bypassing the FTCM.

And boom. Brake lights now working. Tail lights, turn signals - all good.

Now need to perform a similar exercise on the reverse bulbs.

I hope this helps somebody with troubleshooting in the future.

 

[spectralen]

Nice work.
Would have cost a couple of hundred bucks for the dealer to tell you that.

 

[jmm121783]

Those trailer towing junctions are known to rust out on the insides creating a whole bunch of issues with the rear tails.....if you didn't check into that maybe replacing that will solve all the issues without having to run extra jumping wires!