# Tail lights out, bulbs good, fuses good **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [December 20, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631 "2008-12-20T05:05:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jakebratburst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@jakebratburst](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jakebratburst)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/1 "2008-12-20T05:05:54Z")
1990 honda accord the tail lights are out the brake lights work the bulbs are good, fuses are good. Whats wrong ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/2 "2008-12-20T05:57:11Z")
Are the dashboard illumination lights out also? Just offhand, sounds like a bad main lighting switch. ---
**Author:** ![jakebratburst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@jakebratburst](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jakebratburst)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/3 "2008-12-20T06:51:39Z")
yes the dashboard lights are out. where is the main lighting switch ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 11:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/4 "2008-12-20T11:51:42Z")
I think OK was referring to the light switch you use to turn on the lights. ``` Have you checked the bulbs? They can burn out. Have you checked for voltage at any connectors to the lights? If they are mounted on the hatch or trunk lid, it may be where the wires go between the car and the trunk lid, all that flexing tends to damage wires in time. Are the front city lights working? I also might help to tell us want make model and year. ``` ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/5 "2008-12-20T18:16:17Z")
Mr. Meehan is correct about the switch being referred to. Knowing the dash lighting is out pretty much means the switch is faulty. ---
**Author:** ![jakebratburst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@jakebratburst](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jakebratburst)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/6 "2008-12-23T01:13:59Z")
I went to the Parts store and they have no idea what a main lighting switch? Is it the one on the column that turns on the lights , signals ? ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/7 "2008-12-23T01:43:13Z")
I would start with fuses, rtm and see if there is a fuse that could be bad, just in case you missed one. The switch is whatever it is to turn on your headlights, ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/8 "2008-12-23T02:37:03Z")
I would never recommend replacing a part without first verifying that it’s bad (easy to do in this case) but your problem sounds like a faulty circuit in the main lighting switch, and yes it’s the one on the steering column. [http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=S14010&PartType=408&PTSet=A](http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=S14010&PartType=408&PTSet=A) ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/9 "2008-12-23T11:55:38Z")
I would start with fuses, rtm and see if there is a fuse that could be bad, just in case you missed one Of course the fuse is seldom the problem, but rather the result of a problem. Fuses don’t wear out, they are blown because of a short of some other overload. ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tail-lights-out-bulbs-good-fuses-good/23631/10 "2008-12-23T16:15:27Z")
I would be willing to bet that the problem is just with the tail light fuse. So many times the fuses just get looked at visually and look ok. If they were checked with a test light probe on both sides there would be a different story told.