Are you experiencing led tailgate light bar problems on your truck? This article explains the common causes and how you can fix things up. You know, these things happen – all of a sudden, your truck’s tailgate light refuses to turn on when you flip the switch.
If you think it’s an electrical fault, you’re right; it’s actually an electrical fault. But then, what electrical component(s) needs to be checked, and possibly replaced? Led tailgate light issues often occur when you’ve got a blown fuse or wiring faults.
So, in most cases, you need to find the bad fuse and replace it, or trace the wrong wiring connection and get it don’t rightly. Sometimes, it could even be the battery that’s causing the problem.
Hereunder is everything to know about the common problems with led tailgate light bar!
What is Tailgate Light Bar?
The tailgate light bar is a “Fancy” added to trucks; it is mainly adored by night drivers. Tailgate lights help to add more colorful illumination while driving at night, and they are available in different designs. Installing tailgate lights is quite simple if you understand your truck’s electronic system.
When appropriately installed, tailgate lights do not only help to add colorful or brighter illumination while driving at night, but they also make your truck fancier and more attractive. But on the flip side, tailgate lights may put an additional strain on your truck’s battery and make it drain faster.
Led Tailgate Light Bar Problems
Listed and explained below are the most common problems faced by truck owners who installed a led tailgate light bar. The problems are mentioned alongside their possible solutions.
1. Wrong Connection/Wiring
This is the most common problem with led tailgate lights; when the wiring is not done well, the lights won’t come on. Sometimes, the wiring may be done correctly, but one of the wires is broken, and you didn’t notice.
Wiring faults can range from broken cables to improper connection (plugging the wires into the wrong ports). This problem usually occurs if you do the tailgate light bar installation yourself. Well, never to worry; you can still fix this up.
Solution(s):
- Recheck the cables/wires to see if there’s anyone broken in the connection so you can replace it
- Ensure cables were plugged into the right ports
- Have a professional auto electrical expert redo the installation for you
2. Low Voltage
Yeah. It could be that your truck’s battery can’t power the tailgate lights due to voltage issues. Well, typically, your truck’s 12V battery should power the light bar, but maybe there are many other accessories installed in your truck, and they are draining the battery’s power.
Another possible cause of the low voltage could be a “Dying” battery. When a car battery has reached its lifespan, it may not be able to supply full electrical charge to power all electronics accessories installed on the car. So, if your car’s battery is too old, that could be the cause.
Solution(s):
- If the battery is old, maybe you should buy a new one
- In some cases, all you need is to charge the battery to full
3. Bad Fuse
Now, this is another random reason why your truck’s led tailgate light isn’t coming on when you flip the switch. Fuses control electrical current; every vehicle has a number of electrical fuses – quite many of them depending on the number of electrical accessories in the car.
Fuses can get blown due to high voltage or get damaged due to power surges and similar situations. When a fuse is bad, it affects all electrical accessories connected to it; a bad fuse can restrain electrical current from getting to connected accessories, and that includes the tailgate light bar.
Solution(s):
- The simple fix is to identify the faulty fuse and replace it. Replacing an electrical fuse should be done by an auto electrician – not because you can’t do it yourself, but because it’s best to have a professional do it for you
4. Random Faults Within Other Electrical Accessories In The Car/Truck
The problems may not be the battery, fuse, or wiring; it could be a faulty electronic accessory. Electronic gadgets and accessories are quite tricky; when they develop faults, they may affect the entire system, messing up the current flow to other accessories/gadgets.
If you’ve checked the battery, fuses, and tailgate light bar wiring, and everything seems fine, then you should troubleshoot your truck’s electrical system; probably, a faulty component is putting a strain on the system, which is why the tailgate light won’t come on; this is especially if the light had been coming on previously.
Solution(s):
- Use a smart auto scanning tool and troubleshoot the electrical system for possible DTCs. Look up the DTCs and follow the recommendations on how to clear them off
5. The Tailgate Light Bar Is Bad
Yes, you read that light. If you just installed a tailgate light bar and it won’t come on, it could be that the light bar is bad/faulty.
But before you put the blame on the tailgate light, ensure to have checked the connection/wiring and fuses. Since the tailgate is still new, your warranty should still be valid.
Solution(s):
- Return the tailgate light bar and request another unit that is probably more intuitive; you could switch brands this time
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes a Led Tailgate Light Bar Go Bad?
It could be the battery, wiring problem, or fuse problem. Sometimes, it could be that the light bar itself got burned out due to the high voltage supply to the bulbs. There are many reasons your truck’s led tailgate light bar is malfunctioning.
How Do You Fix a Faulty LED Tailgate Light Bar?
Firstly, you have to detect where the problem is coming from – the battery, fuse, or wiring. When you have identified the source of the problem, it becomes much easier to fix things. In most cases, you’d have to replace the faulty gear.
Can You Install Led Tailgate Light Bar Yourself?
Yes, you can do the installation yourself, but you’ve got to be familiar with the cables. Some tailgate lights are designed with a 4 or 7-pin wire function; you have to know what each pin represents. If you’re conversant with these, have an auto electrician do it for you.
Summary
Summarily, these 5 factors explained above are the most common led tailgate light bar problems, and we included the possible fixes you could try for each.
Led tailgate light bars are the best because they are quite easy to install and shine brightest. Most people who install light bars on their trucks do so because they want to add more “fancy” to their toys.
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