Did you know the brake lights on your Jeep Liberty play a big part in keeping you safe on the road? In case you didn’t know, the brake lights on your new car are there to alert other drivers of your intentions. When you press the brakes, your car’s brake lights turn on, giving others notice that you are about to slow down or stop. The brake lights on your Jeep Liberty not only serve as an important safety feature, but they also make your car look cool. Unfortunately, like all vehicles, from time to time, something goes wrong with them, and they break — usually at the worst possible moment. If one of your Jeep Liberty’s brake lights is out, keep reading to learn how you can fix it yourself without spending a lot of money on a mechanic.
Check Your Fuses
Your first step in figuring out why the brake light on your Jeep Liberty is out should be to check your fuses. Your brake light works off of electricity, which means the fuse box located in your car’s engine compartment may be to blame if one of your brake lights isn’t working. Depending on your specific Jeep model, there may be two or three fuses that control the brake lights. On most models, the fuse box is located on the driver’s side of the engine compartment behind a plastic cover. If one of your Jeep’s brake lights is out and the fuse box is at fault, simply swap out the faulty fuse for a new one. If the fuse box is good, but the brake light is still out, there may be a bigger problem with your brake light switch or light assembly.
Broken Light Switch
Your Jeep Liberty’s brake light switch is what tells your car’s brake lights when to turn on. If your brake light switch is broken, your brake lights won’t turn on when you press the brake pedal. Unfortunately, brake light switches are a common failure point on older models of Jeeps. Fortunately, you can usually replace the broken switch yourself. Your Jeep’s service manual will have a schematic that shows the location of the brake light switch. You will want to remove the brake pedal to access the switch. Once the pedal is removed, your broken brake light switch should be easy to spot.
Broken Light Assembly
Not all brake lights on your Jeep Liberty are controlled by a single switch. Some models have a combination brake light switch and assembly. If your brake light switch and assembly are broken, your brake lights will not turn on at all. Unfortunately, broken brake light assemblies are also a common failure point on older Jeep models. In many cases, replacing the entire brake light assembly is the only way to fix a faulty brake light. Your Jeep’s service manual will have a schematic that shows the location of your car’s brake light assembly. You will also have to remove the brake pedal to access the assembly. Once the pedal is removed, your faulty brake light assembly should be easy to spot.
Faulty Brake Light Bulb
A faulty brake light bulb is another common cause of brake light failure. Your brake light bulbs are usually found behind or inside the cover that houses your brake light assembly. Due to their location, brake light bulbs are easy to overlook when troubleshooting your faulty brake light. Unfortunately, replacing a faulty brake light bulb can be tricky because you can’t simply unscrew it from the assembly like you can a light bulb in your home. You will need to remove the cover housing your brake light assembly. This may require you to remove your car’s wheels or lug nuts. Once the faulty bulb is removed, simply screw in a new bulb.
If one of the brake lights on your Jeep Liberty isn’t working, there are a few common causes that you can troubleshoot with ease. The fuse box is a good place to start since it’s easy to check and replace fuses. Next, you should check the brake light switch and brake light assembly. If you find that one of these components is broken, you can often replace them yourself without having to spend a lot of money on a mechanic. Finally, if your brake light bulbs are faulty, you can simply remove and replace them to fix the problem.