Tail light fuse always blowing?

[Romeowhisky]

Hey everyone

The tail light fuse (15a) keeps blowing on my 2014 SJ forester.

Before I take it to the auto electrician are there any obvious things I can do to trouble shoot it?

I found a post online describing something similar caused by old bulbs in the tail lights. I've swapped out my tail light bulbs with new ones but it keeps happening.

Any pointers would be appreciated

Thx

RW

 

[Kevin]

@Romeowhisky do you have a trailer plug? If so check that it is not causing the issue.

 

[Romeowhisky]

@Romeowhisky do you have a trailer plug? If so check that it is not causing the issue.

Good point. Yes I have an aftermarket one installed. I took it back to the company that fitted it and they tested it and found no issues...

It was happening before I had the plug installed, too.

 

[ABFoz]

Before I take it to the auto electrician are there any obvious things I can do to trouble shoot it?

There is a chance that corrosion can lead to higher resistance, especially around the bulb contacts. You can clean it with a contact cleaner, too.

The bulb issue is usually common with people who use the tailgate a lot. The constant impact of the rear tailgate closing can shorten the life of the bulbs.

When I had a BP5, the vibration/shock from closing the tailgate used to be a problem but then I started using made in Taiwan Narva bulbs instead of the cheap ones from either Repco or Supercheap. The Narva ones seemed like they were much more resistant to shock/vibration and lasted years. Cheers.