Lower Brake Lights not Working

[Chaser999]

My lower brake lights on my 2002 Pathfinder are not working, however the third brake light (center light) does. I've checked the fuses, bulbs, and even the wires coming out of the tail light assembly for fear I may have pinched one a while back when I installed a rear view camera but all seems to be fine. I've seen some suggestions regarding the brake switch attached to the brake pedal but I don't think this would be the problem if my third brake light is still operational.

 

 

 

Any advice would be helpful

 

Cheers,

 

Chase

[Slartibartfast]

Do the tail lights work? If you're getting nothing down there you might have a bad ground for the tail/brake light bulbs, which wouldn't affect the operation of the third light. Then again I'm making assumptions about how it's all wired. The FSM should have a full wiring diagram.

[Chaser999]

The tail lights do work just not the brake lights. The filaments seem to be fine but I might try just replacing the bulbs anyways to be sure. I read online that some Japanese car manufactures use a brake light control module that is sometimes wired separately from the third brake light. Does the pathfinder have one of these? I've never heard of such a thing.

 

Thanks

[Towncivilian]

There is no brake light control module.

[Chaser999]

So I hate to admit it, but it turned out that both bulbs went at the same time. I found an extra bulb laying around the house that matched and voila, my brake light worked. The only noticeable marking on the bulb that was burnt was a very faint smoke discoloration on the bulb, something i missed last night while checking them with a flashlight.

 

Thanks for the responses gents!

 

-Chase

[devonianwalk]

Wait wha?

 

There has to be something going on to make them both blow out or, did you have one out for some time now and the other finally went?

[Chaser999]

I honestly don't know. I though it was odd that both are out and I was fearing it was some kind of short somewhere. I'm replacing the other one tomorrow so I guess I'll find out if it just happened to be coincidence that both are out or if I do have some kind of electrical issue somewhere (knock on wood)

 

I didn't know that I had brake light issues until my buddy happened to be following behind me in a rain storm a few days ago and he noticed that my tail lights worked but not my brake lights.

[devonianwalk]

At least he didn't tell you by rear ending you.

[Chaser999]

Which could have happened as it was 9 am and we were driving back from Ocean City after celebrating his 21st...

Many thanks to fast food breakfast and all that grease!

[Trogdor636]

I had that sort of happen to my headlights when I bought my Pathfinder. On my test drive, passenger side low beam went out. Back at the sellers house, do the paperwork, get the keys, start it up to leave.............and driver side headlight is out. I had to drive 3 hours to get home with my high beams on. Put a new set in and they are fine to this day.