Issue with back turning signal

Question

Hi Scotty

I have been watching your videos for a few years. Very helpful. Thanks

Issue:

My left back turning signal stopped working a few years ago. I fixed it by taking the whole light assembly out and touching wires. That was it.

It worked for a few days , or weeks or months before it occurred again.

Starting last year The same exact issue is happening to the right back turning signal! And I fixed it the same way ( touching wires). Since last year left turning signal has been working fine.

My car is 2012 nissan versa sv and battery and starter changed last year. And I live in halifax canada.

Car mechanic wants to check all the wiring which could take up to 8 hours! So very costly

What do you think the root cause is?

Thank you

Regards,

Rez

MountainManJoe · Accepted Answer

Posted by: @rezame What do you think the root cause is? how can we possibly know from the zero information you've given us? Let your mechanic look at it.

jack62 · Answer

So it sounds like when this problem previously occurred you were able to fix it by jiggling around the wires and taking out the tail light assembly.

I have to ask, did you check the bulbs this time?

Sometimes one side of the filament wire is broken and when the bulb is jostled around (like when you took out the tail light assembly) that broken filament touches the contact wire inside the bulb and the bulb works again. So change those bulbs.

I found a video of a guy replacing a brake light bulb on a Versa. When he took out the lamp assembly and moved it around that brake light came on. (broken bulb filament). He replaced his bulb. You didn't replace yours.

You just unscrew the bulb socket plate from the tail light assembly and replace the signal light bulb (the amber one) and then screw it back together.

But since you're in there anyway why not replace all the bulbs so you don't have to take it apart when another one of those 10 year old bulbs burn out?

The bulb socket plate looks like this:

Here's that video starting at that part of the repair:

https://youtu.be/362hHXZP1Xg?t=157