bbf2530 Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 (edited) My 2007 with 23,000 just burned out the drivers tail light.....is that hard to replace on my own. Any tips? Thanks in advance. Hi rodgerruss. :D It is an easy do-it-yourself job. You unfasten and remove the rear tail lamp assembly to access the bulbs. The Owners Manual has detailed diagrams and directions on how to replace all of the bulbs, including the tail lamps. Your Manual may be different, but the 2008 PDF version has the directions for replacing the tail lamp bulbs on page 89. If they are not on page 89 in your Manual, just look in the Index under "Lamps", then "Replacing Bulbs". Good luck. :beerchug: Edited December 4, 2008 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 (edited) I got an answer from some lighting authority we all now very well from other threads, and here are some suggestions of legal replacements, appart from being a Ford problem, the sockets should be better quality. Most of the times thosep roblems are all down to the quality and construction of the sockets selected by the vehicle manufacturer. Be aware also the "LED bulb" idea raised here is not a solution to the problem, and it is extremely dangerous and quite illegal. "LED bulbs", even the fancy ones with multiple emitters facing various directions, cause the vehicle's lamps not to perform in a safe or legal fashion with respect to the intensity of light emitted, the ratio of bright (brake or turn) to dim (tail or park) intensity, and the angles through which the light is distributed. If a vehicle is involved in a collision, and the lighting equipment is found not to be equipped with a legal light source or otherwise not to be performing in the intended manner, the vehicle owner can be exposed to very significant liabilities. First guys, insist that Ford replace those burnt sockets under warranty, if applicable (if not, replace them yourself). Then, there is a hybrid type of bulb available that we can install that will give us much of the benefits of the glass-wedge base. They are an all-glass bulb with a high-temperature polymer locating collar to secure the bulb correctly in the plastic-wedge socket. They're not just variant forms of the 3157/4157 bulbs, they're indeed special continuous-duty bulbs, designed to handle the heat encountered in always-on daytime running light service. Their filaments are rated at 14v rather than 12.8v, and the all-glass base and Ultem collar do a better job of conducting heat away from the bulb-to-socket junction. They are electrically a direct replacement, and they are fully optically compatible with the lamps on our Edge. As an added bonus, their lifespan is much longer than the 3157/4157 bulbs. The amber (front park/turn) ones are here: http://store.candlepower.com/5702ka.html The clear (rear brake/tail) ones are here: http://store.candlepower.com/4114k.html Edited December 12, 2008 by Kanatronic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) To all the Edge 2008 owners, check your tail light bulbs, please!!! Long story short, I found the same crap!!!! I removed mine (2000 miles on it) to replace them with the ones Daniel Stern recommended me, and found the similar problem all the sockets are burned, so please do yourself a favor, those sockets are very close to the gas duct that have fumes in there, it is dangerous to say the least to have such source of overheating so closed to the tank opening....I will take mine tomorrow to the dealer to replace those harness and sockets ASAP....those are indeed burned out!!! Edited December 21, 2008 by Kanatronic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rt53 Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 Had my 2008 Edge in the shop this week and the dealer replaced both rear sockets and bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Took mine today, they were not very cooperative, as usual, and they just wanted to replace the bulbs, after some back and forth finally they agreed to replace all, including the red plastic lens, they ordered the parts, so hopefully next week I will have all new...No more plastic Wedge bulbs in there from now on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlkansascity Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 On my 2007, with 40k miles, they are both charred like the photos. I replaced a bulb today, and when I saw that I pulled the other side and it was the same way. I'll have the dealer look next time I have it in to the dealer. JL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) Got mine back on Friday, as usual all what you tell them is in vane, you need always to inspect all the work they do on your car, after three times of telling the service adviser not to replace the bulbs as they were new, (glass wedge type, purchased from Candlepower, which will not burn the socket again) the first thing I noticed while I got it back and opened the taillights, was that they reinstalled the crappy Sylvania plastic wedge bulbs, that will burn the sockets again, and on top they kept mine...So after getting home I needed to get back again there, and after complaining, finally got my bulbs back which of course, I needed to reinstall myself later on... While discussing with the guy, not only the stupid service adviser seems that never visit a Ford forum, as it seems that they had never seen this problem before, he told me that they did not burnt due to the bulbs, but due to the water (humidity) inside the tail light lens...!!!! What water man? Are you going to tell me that all those guys here, had water also in theirs? Gimme a break!!! The water, if any which is not the case, will get evaporated far before the socket and bulb will reach the burning temperature. On top, not sure what kind of work they did, or if they need or not to go under it, to run the new harness, but the passenger door black plastic jamb, the one that is close to the floor and cover the carpet and some wires there, was loose. While I inspected and try to reattach it, I noticed that they broke all three tabs that hold it to the floor, unbelievable!!!! Not sure how successful I will be, but I will be there tomorrow again and try to make them replace my door jamb, and for sure they will not have it in stock, and they may need to order it, what will take a few days more, and another trip and waste of time another day to the dealer again..Honestly guys, not sure if it is better to fix the car at my dime with a mechanic around home, or had paid for this stupid warranty and have all these problems... Edited January 8, 2009 by Kanatronic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stordi Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 I feel your pain. I have around 2,000 miles on my '08 MKX and it's been in the shop more than I've had it. This will most definitely be my LAST Ford product ever purchased. I've had my '08 BMW almost a year now and it hasn't been back to the dealer since! This p.o.s. lives at my dealer! I don't have enough room to list the problems with this thing. And Ford wonders WHY they can't sell vehicles??? HELLO???!!!??? Oh yeah, and bbf and akirby, don't blame the dealers on these problems. This is all CRAP engineering and CRAP manufacturing! I mean, how can you polish a turd??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zd4550 Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Replaced both rear brake light bulbs with 4157k bulbs purchased at a national auto parts store. Within a week both burnt out. Checked both bulbs and they appeared to have overheated and the plastic at the base was melted. Checked with Ford service and they have a service bulletin (20626) that discusses the tail light concern and recommends not using after market bulbs and replace with Ford part 9T4Z-13466-A. The Ford parts guy didn't have it in stock and said that I was the first person to order this new bulb. Makes me wonder if there is an electrical wiring issue in the rear tail light assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Replaced both rear brake light bulbs with 4157k bulbs purchased at a national auto parts store. Within a week both burnt out. Checked both bulbs and they appeared to have overheated and the plastic at the base was melted. Checked with Ford service and they have a service bulletin (20626) that discusses the tail light concern and recommends not using after market bulbs and replace with Ford part 9T4Z-13466-A. The Ford parts guy didn't have it in stock and said that I was the first person to order this new bulb. Makes me wonder if there is an electrical wiring issue in the rear tail light assembly. The ones used by Ford AFAIK are the same crap that will burnt the sockets again, I had mine repelaced under warranty and they replaced the bulbs with the identical ones that burnt the socket before...Fortunatelly for us, there is another option that is far better, according the Daniel Sterns, read here, the ones I have installed in my car now: The socket burning problem is for one reason only: Ford didn't spend enough money on bulb sockets; they used a material without the necessary heat resistance. The plastic wedge-base bulbs have been generally the most problematic of any of the three major types of bulbs of this general size, output and wattage rating (metal push/twist bayonet base, plastic wedge base, and all-glass wedge base). The contact wires built into the plastic wedge base are very small, and require absolutely perfect contact with high-quality sockets in order to work over the long haul. I was just talking to a GM lighting specification engineer the other day about this. He said the only reason why GM switched away from the largely trouble-free metal bayonet bulbs was that for awhile there in the early-mid '90s, it was very difficult for them to get production quantities of high-quality bayonet-base bulbs. Now they are actively moving away from the plastic-wedge bulb, which has caused them their own share of socket problems, and going to the all-glass wedge base bulbs, which have proved more dependable in this regard. They're not going back to the metal bayonet base bulbs because a wedge bulb is easier for a robot to install on the production line. Volvo had big problems with plastic-wedge when they used them in the front turn signals in the mid-late '90s; they soon had a large recall on their hands for burned/faulty sockets. Their recall fix was to retrofit metal bayonet bulbs and matching sockets on all the affected cars. The glass-wedge bulbs were not available at that time. I took a look at the thread you pointed to, and while I could not see the photos because I am not a member of that forum, I can easily visualise the socket damage, since I've seen a fair amount of it on other vehicles. That is not to suggest that the design is fatally flawed; there have been many vehicles with plastic-wedge bulbs that give absolutely no trouble even over a 20+ year vehicle lifespan. It's all down to the quality and construction of the sockets selected by the vehicle manufacturer. I must caution you in the strongest possible terms that the "LED bulb" idea raised in that thread is not a solution to the problem, and it is extremely dangerous and quite illegal. "LED bulbs", even the fancy ones with multiple emitters facing various directions, cause the vehicle's lamps not to perform in a safe or legal fashion with respect to the intensity of light emitted, the ratio of bright (brake or turn) to dim (tail or park) intensity, and the angles through which the light is distributed. If a vehicle is involved in a collision, and the lighting equipment is found not to be equipped with a legal light source or otherwise not to be performing in the intended manner, the vehicle owner can be exposed to very significant liabilities. It is not possible to mix and match bulb and socket types. For example, the glass-wedge type bulbs cannot be installed in a socket intended to accept a plastic-wedge bulb. However, I believe we do have some bulbs that ought to at least mitigate this problem. You'll want to try and insist that Ford replace your burnt sockets under warranty, if applicable; if not, replace them yourself. Then, there is a hybrid type of bulb available that you can install to gain much of the benefit of the glass-wedge base. They are an all-glass bulb with a high-temperature polymer locating collar to secure the bulb correctly in the plastic-wedge socket. They're not just variant forms of the 3157/4157 bulbs, though, they're special continuous-duty bulbs designed to handle the heat encountered in always-on daytime running light service. Their filaments are rated at 14v rather than 12.8v, and the all-glass base and Ultem collar do a better job of conducting heat away from the bulb-to-socket junction. They are electrically a direct replacement, and they are fully optically compatible with the lamps on your Edge. As an added bonus, their lifespan is much longer than the 3157/4157 bulbs. The amber (front park/turn) ones are here: http://store.candlepower.com/5702ka.html The clear (rear brake/tail) ones are here: http://store.candlepower.com/4114k.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeflyer Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Interesting.... I just replaced the bulp on the left side last week. The service guy asked me have the car for 45min to change a single light bulb (its still under warranty)!!!! So I changed it myself with an appropriate bulp (took me 5 min...). However I noticed the same "charred problem" as posted before. Maybe not as bad but still colored. Maybe that is why they needed the car for so long... honestly I do not think so but the car will get that appointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbmgonecrazy1 Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 2007 Ford Edge -- I am taking my car in to dealer today. My back drivers side bulb went out and when we took it out the bulb look okay but the what the bulb plugged into was burnt and very hot....So I will post and let you know what the dealer says after I take it in today. Mine looks just like the picture you posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsafree Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Last week I installed a Hidden Hitch and T-One wiring harness on my 2007 SE. The job was pretty simple, just time consuming, as others have noted. It took a little longer for me though, since my hitch was bent from shipping and the horrible packaging it was sent in...but I digress. My concern came when I went to install the T-One harness. I removed the tail lights and found that the main light bulbs on both sides had gotten so hot that they were blackened and even a little melted. Has anyone seen anything like this? The only other problem that I have had is the transmission shifting hard at low speed, otherwise I have 16K on it and rolling! When I checked mine out on my 2007 Edge with 28 K they are also bad and looks like I need to take it in . This looks like it could be a recall. The socket is burnt and looks like design or wrong part install at the factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 When I checked mine out on my 2007 Edge with 28 K they are also bad and looks like I need to take it in . This looks like it could be a recall. The socket is burnt and looks like design or wrong part install at the factory. Do not replace the bulbs take it ot the dealer and have them replace the wiring harness as well under warranty...later on replace the bulbs with the ones I stated above from Candlepower, which Daniel Sterns endorse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Do not replace the bulbs take it ot the dealer and have them replace the wiring harness as well under warranty...later on replace the bulbs with the ones I stated above from Candlepower, which Daniel Sterns endorse... Is this 07, 08 problem or any 09, 10 owners had to deal with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlazedUp Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Is there a tsb for this issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanatronic Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 (edited) Is this 07, 08 problem or any 09, 10 owners had to deal with this. It seems that it is in all models, AFAIK, I asked and the guy told me that was because of the humidity inside, I had to replace also both lens under warranty because of fog inside as well, it seems that they totally ignore those forums, according to what Daniel Sterns told me, it seems that Ford did not spent money enough on the sockets, and what is worst is that they do not consider that having a fire so close to the gas tank is an issue....until someone get roasted of course...!!! Edited October 19, 2009 by Kanatronic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFJ2025 Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 Last week I installed a Hidden Hitch and T-One wiring harness on my 2007 SE. The job was pretty simple, just time consuming, as others have noted. It took a little longer for me though, since my hitch was bent from shipping and the horrible packaging it was sent in...but I digress. My concern came when I went to install the T-One harness. I removed the tail lights and found that the main light bulbs on both sides had gotten so hot that they were blackened and even a little melted. Has anyone seen anything like this? The only other problem that I have had is the transmission shifting hard at low speed, otherwise I have 16K on it and rolling! check this out!!!!! http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9...mp;nav=menu89_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 installed my hitch and trailer harness. When I opened up the lights to tap into the wires, my Sockets were charred as well. Bummer. Off to the dealer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Is there a tsb for this issue? No TSB - service message 20626. It says replace bulb with 9T4Z-13466-A. 2007/2008 Edge. No mention of MKX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN_Yank Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Does installing LED's in the taillight/rear turn signals stop the problem? And now a dummy question..... And does anyone have pix or a good description of how different in terms of looks and brightness the LEDs are compared to stock incandescent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifthranger Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 I have been experiencing bulb issues also. My wife has an 07' Edge with nearly 36,000 miles on it. I only drive the vehicle a couple times a week, and I noticed nearly a month ago at 34,500 that the right taillight bulb was malfunctioning. I replaced it and noticed that the socket area was charred. I thought it odd and then a couple weeks ago the left rear was giving me trouble. I found that the bulb was loose and tightened it without difficulty. Then just a couple days ago (and less than 1200 miles later) had to change the right rear taillight again. It is a lease, but I don't want the vehicle starting fire. Looks like I need a trip to the dealer this week. We are literally at 35,760 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaak in TO Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 I filled out a survy and Ford called me back and left a message. I called today and described the issue. Ford will call me back tomorrow (10th) for a course of action. I described the socket condition and she was a bit concerned. I also mentioned the service message 20626 and she noted it. Will update on actions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtalley Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 After reading about so many having tail light problems, I thought I'd better check mine. With only 10000 miles on my 09, the sockets were already cooked. I've got LED bulbs on order, thought less heat and less electrical load might solve the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 After reading about so many having tail light problems, I thought I'd better check mine. With only 10000 miles on my 09, the sockets were already cooked. I've got LED bulbs on order, thought less heat and less electrical load might solve the problem. Not that I'm the paranoid type, but I'm going to check mine too....I've got an '09 Limited AWD, late build...bought new...just over 8000 miles on it now....no problems so far.... Is Ford replacing these things? I'm getting the impressions that Ford is just using a different bulb (maybe one which puts out less heat)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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