Dead brake and reverse lights

[ranchguy7]

Both of my right brake and reverse lights are dead. I'm wondering if these two lights are connected somehow? Like, if fixing one might fix the other? Or is it just my luck that they both went out on the same side? any help is appreciated!

 

[Y_tho_]

Both of my right brake and reverse lights are dead. I'm wondering if these two lights are connected somehow? Like, if fixing one might fix the other? Or is it just my luck that they both went out on the same side? any help is appreciated!

You're right to think they're joined at the hip. My old Jeep had a similar issue where the turn signal and brake light on one side went out together, which drove me up the wall until I found the cause. It's almost certainly a bad ground wire that they both share in the rear lighting cluster. Before you go replacing bulbs or fuses, find the main ground point for that tail light assembly and clean the connection until it shines. Have you done any recent work on the truck or been through any deep water? @ranchguy7

 

[BieberBaby]

It may be possible that the brake and reverse lights share a ground or wiring harness on that side, so a single issue like a bad ground, blown fuse, or corroded socket could affect both. But it could also just be coincidence and both bulbs went out separately

 

[sunni3s]

Both of my right brake and reverse lights are dead. I'm wondering if these two lights are connected somehow? Like, if fixing one might fix the other? Or is it just my luck that they both went out on the same side? any help is appreciated!

Heh. How is that possible? I think they share a connection somehow that's why both are affected. Weird wiring then.

 

[ruggedpathfinder1263]

Great point mentioning this, I think it's definitely a common issue. It happens more often than people realize. Have you looked into the ground connection or cleaned out the sockets? I'm also wondering if you've done any recent work back there or if you've experienced any bad weather lately; those factors can really cause problems.