How to Replace a Trunk Light (Step by Step)

Open your trunk and look for the light housing. On most sedans it's mounted directly in the underside of the trunk lid, pointing down into the cargo area. On some vehicles it's on the rear wall of the trunk, above the spare tire well. If you drive a hatchback, the light is often in the liftgate panel or up near the top corner where the cargo area meets the D-pillar. If you're not sure, open the trunk at night and look for the light source. Find the housing before you start prying anything.

Look at the edge of the light cover before touching it. Some vehicles use small screws at one or both ends of the cover. If yours has screws, remove them first and the cover lifts straight off. If there are no screws, the cover is held by plastic tabs and pries free with a plastic trim tool or a flathead screwdriver wrapped in a cloth or tape. Insert the tool into the narrow seam at the edge and apply gentle, even pressure. Work from one end toward the other rather than levering hard on a single spot. Trunk lid panels are thinner than you'd expect and can crack if you force the wrong area.

With the cover off, shine your flashlight into the socket. Most trunk lights use a festoon bulb, which is a cylindrical bulb that sits between two spring metal clips. To remove it, press one end of the bulb toward its clip to compress the spring slightly, then angle the opposite end out first and slide the whole bulb free. Some vehicles use a wedge-base bulb in an open socket instead. For those, pull the bulb straight out with your fingers or needle-nose pliers. Before discarding the old bulb, look at it in good light. Note the shape, base type, and any size markings. That's what you need to match the replacement.

Trunk spaces collect moisture every time it rains, and that moisture promotes corrosion on the socket contacts. With the bulb out, look at the metal clips or contact tabs inside the socket. They should look bright and shiny. If they're dull, dark, or have a greenish tint, wipe them with a dry cloth and then clean them lightly with a piece of fine sandpaper or emery cloth. Poor contact from corrosion causes flickering, dimming, and premature bulb failure. Two minutes of cleaning here can save you from doing this job again in six months.

Hold the old bulb next to the new one and confirm they match in shape, base type, and size. For a festoon bulb, press one end between a spring clip, then bend the other end in to seat it fully between both contacts. It should sit straight with no tilt or rattle. For a wedge-base bulb, push it straight into the socket until it seats firmly and the tabs grip the base. Don't touch a halogen replacement bulb glass with bare fingers since skin oils cause hot spots that shorten bulb life. If you're swapping to an LED and it doesn't come on, pull it out, rotate it 180 degrees, and try again. That's the fix almost every time.

Before putting the cover back, open and close the trunk lid a few times to confirm the light comes on when the lid is up and turns off when you close it. If the light stays on with the lid closed, the trunk lid switch isn't making contact when the lid shuts. That switch is a small plunger in the trunk opening and is a separate fix, but worth knowing about before you close everything up. Once confirmed working, reinstall the light cover. For snap-fit covers, align the tabs with the slots in the housing and press evenly until each tab clicks. The cover should sit flush with no gaps or movement.