Brake lights are important because they warn the car behind you and prevent accidents. Readers ask us: “why does my brake light fuse keep blowing?”. We have all the answers for you.
Brake lights are mainly installed in cars, bikes, and every transport vehicle to indicate the drivers’ a safety signal to stop or slow down their vehicle accordingly with the others in front of them.
The primary function of brake lights is to turn on whenever the driver applies brakes to slow down their car. Brake lights have a higher intensity light bulb installed so that their glow intensifies in the dark and in lit areas.
Red-colored brake lights are used as one can spot them from a long distance. It happens as the red color has the longest wavelength among other colors on the visible spectrum. The red color is a symbol that means to “STOP.”
It has been used for a long time, even before cars and bikes existed. Earlier, manually arm-lifted red lamps were utilized in train signals; later on, it found their use in traffic signals and on the brake lights of vehicles.
It often happens that we apply brakes on our vehicle, but the brake light doesn’t glow. It can cause problems in traffic; sometimes it might give rise to collisions between cars which causes serious injuries.
This article focuses on why the brake light fuse blows when brakes are applied and helps you solve this problem. You will be able to find the defect that keeps causing this problem. The solution for this will help in preventing this problem from appearing shortly.
Cause of brake light fuse blowing
There is nothing to worry about issues related to the brake light fuse not working. It happens over and over again. Every time you solve the problems, you get to know a new thing about the causing issues. It makes it easy for you to figure out the issues quickly and solve them with the right approach.
Short circuit
The primary thing that needs to be checked is whether or not there is any short circuit of your fuse. For this, you need to check your fuse box.
You will be able to locate your vehicle’s fuse box with the diagram provided on the tool bag. You need to find it and check for a fuse. If there has been a short circuit, replace the fuse with a different one that has the same resistance.
Socket issues
Sometimes excessive heat causes the sockets to melt. You need to pull out each brake light bulb to detect damage to the socket.
With the help of a wire circuit diagram and some testing, you can figure out quickly if there has been damage to any of the sockets. If so, you just need to replace your socket with a new one.
Bulb Fused
Sometimes the problem is just that you are using your brake light too much. Think about it: if you are braking the car too often or keeping your foot on the brake pedal all the time, your brake light bulb would be put to use too often, which may be causing your bulb to get fused often.
The solution is to make sure that you apply your brakes lesser and to keep your foot off the pedal when you are driving.
Brake light Switch:
Applying brakes, in turn, pushes a button that results in seeing a signal to the backlights to turn on in the necessary time. Old switches go through wear and tear due to daily use.
This use increases if you often ride in heavy traffic. Sometimes the buttons also get dirty, which stops them from making contact with the brake pedal resulting in inefficient signaling of the backlight or blowing out the fuse.
Altered Wiring:
Sometimes, due to some modifications or after an accident in your vehicle, the wirings of your brake lights might have gotten altered. The backlight fuse wiring may have changed, resulting in the brake light fuse getting blown.
It is even possible that one of the cables has got caught between the metal frame, which is what is causing the bulb to be in service all the time, resulting in a blown a fuse.
Rainy season:
The most common problems faced in vehicles are during the rainy season. Among all other issues, the backlight fuse blows up when brakes are applied.
Rainwater may seep through any leak or break into the bulb circuit and cause the backlight to get fused.
How to solve brake light fuse from blowing
Various causes can result in infusing your brake lights. You need to solve the issues to avoid backlight-related problems in traffic or while driving long-distance rides. Our mechanical expert team has made a list of ways by which the issues can be solved. For this, you need to locate the root of the problem to solve the problem on your own or seek a mechanic’s help.
Check The Bulbs
First of all, check all the bulbs individually. Then look for any corrosion, water seeping, any disconnected wires, or hanging wires that might result in the underlying problem.
Find Your Brake Light Fuse Box
The brake light system fuse needs to be found primarily. The power distribution box, like other fuses, lies in the dashboard or sometimes tucked underneath the bonnet.
If you are confused with what the power distribution system is, it is basically just the fuse box. You can take the help of your vehicle’s user manual to locate the fuse connected with the brake lights.
Test The Fuse Box
From any auto part shop, you need to get a testing light. After that, you need to turn your car’s ignition on. Touch the test light to each end of the fuse. If the test light does not turn on, that means the fuse has blown. If the fuse turns out to be functional, but still the light doesn’t glow, then the problem lies with the bulb, which needs to be changed.
However, if the connector test light turns on only on one side, then the fuse is a faulty one. You also need to change your fuse in order to retain your vehicle’s glowing backlight.
Answers To Questions About Brake Lights
What will lead your fuse to keep blowing?
If you use your brake light more often than necessary, the bulbs are prone to be fused. Other reasons can be corrosion in the wiring, short circuits in the fuse due to water and corrosion, and melted sockets.
How do you fix a fuse that keeps blowing?
Change the bulbs with advanced LED to minimize the faults and enhance their longevity. They are cheap and readily available in markets.
Furthermore, if the backlight is glowing and the fuse is triggered, you can assume that the repair is complete. But in case the changed fuse doesn’t work, then the problem might lie in the connection of the pedal and switch. ItIs a much-complicated problem and needs to be corrected by a professional mechanic.
Conclusion
The more you worry about something, the more you get surrounded by problems. The best thing you need to do is to find the root of the problem.
Most people overlook the underlying problem and opt for changes, which may be effective at first, but the original issue comes back as time passes.
Don’t go to the garage, as you might be able to solve the problem that the backlight fuse blows up when brakes are applied. By understanding what changes you need to make, you will understand what problems are causing this problem to recur.
Happy Driving!
