Chevy S10 Tail Lights Not Working – How To Fix

By Max Anthony •  Updated: 02/14/23 •  3 min read

Chevy S10 Tail Lights Not Working

Live Mechanic Help 24/7
Chat With A Mechanic Online

Connect with a verified mechanic in minutes. No appointments. No high fees. No waiting. Get back on the road and enjoy the ride.

Tail lights on a Chevy S10 are one of the most important safety features on the car. When they don’t work, it can be difficult to see the car in traffic, and can lead to accidents. So if your tail lights aren’t working, you need to take action to fix the problem.

Possible Reasons Why Chevy S10 Tail Lights Not Working

Bad Bulbs

Brake light bulbs use two different filaments, and it’s common for only one of them to fail. Generally, the function of one side of a light bulb, such as a brake light, is derived from the other side of the bulb, but not the other side.

You must change the tail light bulb if it burns out. Last but not least, if you just changed the bulbs, the issue can be that you have the wrong ones.

Some individuals believe that if a lightbulb fits, it must be the correct one. That is untrue. Check the part number of the old bulbs to see if you still have them and compare it to the new ones.

If you’ve already thrown away the old bulbs, consult your owner’s handbook to see if you can find the right one for your car. Remember that the brand is irrelevant; however, if you are moving brands, the part numbers must be interchangeable.

Live Mechanic Help 24/7
Chat With A Mechanic Online

Connect with a verified mechanic in minutes. No appointments. No high fees. No waiting. Get back on the road and enjoy the ride.

Blown Fuses

It is possible you have blown out one of the bulbs in a couple of the taillights, but it is more probable you have blown out the fuse in the whole backlight assembly.

Everything that’s needed to find out what is wrong with a fuse in a motor vehicle is to open it and look inside. Then, using a torch or a multimeter, test the fuse.

If there isn’t one, you just need to take out the fuse in your tail light and look at it. If it doesn’t work, just try switching the fuse to a fuse with a similar rated current.

Control Switch Failure

It’s something that many car owners ignore, but some day your tail lights will fail for one reason or another.

You control what your tail lights do by looking at the switches in your car cab, and if the switches aren’t functioning properly, you will have trouble getting your tail lights on!

Damaged Plugs or Sockets

If the tail lights of your vehicle aren’t sealed correctly, your car will be completely open to the elements. The whole system can start to cause trouble, but the electrical system that your vehicle is using is the simplest to cause problems. When metal sockets are allowed to rust, they will corrosion and start to cause all sorts of problems.

When you change a light bulb, check the socket to make sure it’s in good shape. If you notice that the socket has become corroded, you can remove it with a wire brush and some WD-40. If it’s very bad, you will have to buy a new one.

(Visited 74 times, 1 visits today)

Max Anthony

Max is a gizmo-savvy guy, who has a tendency to get pulled into the nitty gritty details of technology and cars. He attended UT Austin, where he studied Information Science. He’s married and has three kids, one dog and a GMC truck and a Porsche 911. With a large family, he still finds time to share tips and tricks on cars, trucks and more.