15th Feb 2010, 12:32

My thanks also. I have been trying to get this brake-light issue fixed, and am so happy not to have to go to the dealer, which in and of itself is a major time-consuming hassle. Much obliged.

16th Feb 2010, 04:32

Hey all, the interior lights, map lights, vanity mirror lights and boot light do not work in my Grand Cherokee Limited. They all stopped working at the same time, which led me to believe it must be a fuse, but I can't seem to figure out which one...

Oh but the courtesy lamps in the door still work... Any ideas? Much appreciated!

21st Sep 2010, 20:55

I just fixed my tail lights with the numbered instructions. It worked wonderfully!

Thank you so much. I didn't want to have to pay the dealer big bucks for such an easy fix.

Thanks again.

29th Oct 2010, 10:13

Great information. I'll fix my lady friend's 2000 GC tomorrow. That's almost as baffling as the old Christmas tree lights that would all go out if just one was bad.

Never, ever design a circuit that is in series with anything else! If that component fails, everything else does as well.

Basic ELC 101. Gee whiz guys! Learn to design properly!

6th Nov 2010, 15:52

This thread was SOOOO helpful!

Found out the passenger brake light was out yesterday. Put a new bulb in, and still nothing. Swapped bulbs with driver's side, new bulb worked in driver's side, and original working bulb from driver's side did not work in the passenger side.

Googled the problem, found this thread, cleaned contacts with rubbing alcohol, lifted the brass contacts on the twist out socket where the bulb plugs in, and lifted the contact plates on the lens.

It's all good! Thanks so much to the original poster who provided this fix!

Bob in NJ

2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee bought new, now with 216K miles and still running great!

20th Nov 2010, 15:22

Thanks for the info. It worked like a charm. Saved $$$!

30th Jan 2011, 22:48

After a year of trying to figure my taillight issue out, I decided to Google it. The step by step instructions are spot on! It solved my problem and I kept my money in my wallet. Thanks to whomever started the thread.

19th Mar 2011, 00:01

Hey there.

I own a 2004 Laredo, and was hoping this would fix my problem. However it did not. I am losing power to just my brake lights. Any ideas for a quick fix? My bottom two brake lights are not working, but the one on top of the window is. I bought a new switch and that didn't work. I checked the switch fuse (as that is the only one in the manual that says brake lights); it is fine. Anyone have any suggestions???

ROger.

8th Apr 2011, 16:20

Thank you very much, that helped me out. I was trying to fix that problem for four months now. My other problem was when I would turn the socket, it would slip off the ground. So I just backed it off a little and it worked perfect.

21st May 2011, 13:37

I fought this left tail light issue for 2 hours, by checking volts, contacts, changing bulbs and sockets. I disassembled the housing... then I gave up and was going to buy a new left tail light assembly when I saw this thread and the 1 cent aluminum foil fix... 5 minutes later and it was working fine. Thanks again for the thread.

Will.

23rd May 2011, 14:27

I just fixed my 2003 Grand Cherokee Laredo tail/stop light in LESS THAN 3 MINS with this fix. Perfect. You guy's are the best.

Many thanks.

14th Jun 2011, 19:41

There was a technical service bulletin on this issue. Google TSB 05-003-02B, your dealer should know this and fix it ASAP.

http://www.wjjeeps.com/brakes.htm

29th Jun 2011, 16:49

This solution worked for me too. This has been an on-going intermittent problem for me. I pulled the tail-light off, sanded and cleaned the contacts with alcohol, and it's fixed.

Thank you very much!

2nd Jul 2011, 18:11

I had the problem, and used your solution, and it worked like a charm. Took 5 minutes like you said. Thank you for the help.

6th Jul 2011, 14:57

Worked like a charm. Thanks for saving me a lot of trouble. One other thing I noticed, is when you turn the bulb socket into the assembly, it is possible to twist it too far. You have to make sure you twist it just enough so the contacts line up correctly.

24th Jul 2011, 06:53

Great suggestions, saved me a lot of money. I was going to replaced the driver's side tail lamp assembly, but this solution to pry the ground contact, and shimming it up with a small plastic shim is the solution. Thank you very much!

30th Jul 2011, 21:11

Thank you.

6th Sep 2011, 13:13

I LOVE the Internet, and whoever found the fix for the tail light problem! Been driving me nuts for over a year, and I knew it must have been a ground/contacts problem, but until I saw this, I would not have noticed that the ground contact had slipped. Thank you so much - made my day.

1st Oct 2011, 00:55

Just fixed my tail light with this fix, thanks a bunch.

2nd Oct 2011, 15:26

Thanks so much,

I am a newly divorced woman and I could not afford to take my car in for repair. But thanks to you I fixed it myself. You are awesome!!!

Thanks.

9th Oct 2011, 15:37

You're awesome dude, thanks so much!

9th Oct 2011, 21:26

Just wanted to say thank you to all. Like all of you, my brake lights would work with the headlights off. But when I turned on my headlights, both brake lights did not work. I replaced all the light bulbs and couldn't determine what the problem was. I read some of the suggestions on this website, and used a very small blade to lift that single contact up and supporting it with a flat screwdriver to lift up.

This worked!!! I am so thrilled, because I have been worried about getting pulled over.

Thank you everyone.

13th Oct 2011, 09:46

I have a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I am having the same problems with the left tail light. I tried to fix the problem by using the suggestions above. The tail light is working now, but the brake light still does not come on. Any suggestions?

20th Oct 2011, 20:05

I have a Jeep 2001 Grand Cherokee, with the same problem. I've been trying to fix it for months. Thank you very much.

30th Oct 2011, 13:32

Thank you! This remedy worked for me.

However, we should not be placed in an unsafe predicament such as this. This defect could cost someone their life. I called Jeep to file a complaint. We all should. Here is the phone number to file a complaint. It only takes a moment.

1-877-426-5337

(1-877-IAM-JEEP)

M-F 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET

SAT/SUN 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET

You will need the last 8 digits of your VIN.

Good luck!

5th Nov 2011, 17:42

Been struggling with same issue, this worked. Should have googled before spending money on needless parts.

18th Nov 2011, 19:59

This advice worked great. However, simply bending the contact upward was not enough in my case. I used a small folded piece of aluminum foil under the contact to raise it, and it worked perfectly. Thanks for taking the time to post this solution.