I am new to this forum. I did a search on this topic but did not find anything, but I may not have looked in the right place.
I have a 2004 Prius, and recently discovered that the right side brake light is not functioning. I thought that it would be the usual easy fix that I have had on previous cars, just a matter of accessing the back of the light assembly and replacing the faulty bulb. I was quite surprised to discover that not only is there no easy way to access the brake light, but there were no obvious wires that went to the uppermost part of the light assembly, where the brake light is located.
Thus far I have only looked through the access panel (which allows easy replacement of all the other taillight bulbs), but I have reached all around the light assembly and felt no other wires entering the assembly.
Before going any further and removing interior body panels to get more access I decided that it would be smarter to first consult with people who have already encountered and dealt with this problem, rather than just diving in with no real idea what I might be getting into.
So what the heck is going on here? Is it even possible to replace the brake lamp? And where are the wires that control the brake light?
I really appreciate any help/advice that anyone can give me. I'm no pro mechanic, but I have always been able to handle just about anything that has gone wrong with all the cars that I have owned, so I hope that I will be able to deal with this as well.
I have a 2004 Prius, and recently discovered that the right side brake light is not functioning. I thought that it would be the usual easy fix that I have had on previous cars, just a matter of accessing the back of the light assembly and replacing the faulty bulb. I was quite surprised to discover that not only is there no easy way to access the brake light, but there were no obvious wires that went to the uppermost part of the light assembly, where the brake light is located.
Thus far I have only looked through the access panel (which allows easy replacement of all the other taillight bulbs), but I have reached all around the light assembly and felt no other wires entering the assembly.
Before going any further and removing interior body panels to get more access I decided that it would be smarter to first consult with people who have already encountered and dealt with this problem, rather than just diving in with no real idea what I might be getting into.
So what the heck is going on here? Is it even possible to replace the brake lamp? And where are the wires that control the brake light?
I really appreciate any help/advice that anyone can give me. I'm no pro mechanic, but I have always been able to handle just about anything that has gone wrong with all the cars that I have owned, so I hope that I will be able to deal with this as well.