Exterior bulb failure light: find the dead bulb

Good to know

A headlight, taillight or signal bulb has burned out and should be replaced. It is not an emergency, but a dead bulb makes you harder for other drivers to see, especially at night.

Can you keep driving?

Yes, but replace the bulb promptly.

Rear of a car with one taillight lit and the other dark

What the warning actually means

This is an informational light, not a fault in the car's systems. It tells you an outside bulb has burned out, and the quickest way to find it is a walk round the car with each light switched on.

Common causes

  • A burned-out headlight bulb
  • A burned-out taillight bulb
  • A burned-out signal bulb
Front corner of a car with the amber turn signal lit at sunset
Check every light in turn: headlights, brake lights, reverse and turn signals.

What to do now

  1. Get somebody to stand outside while you work through every light switch.
  2. Check low and high beam on both sides, then brake, reverse and turn signals.
  3. Replace the dead bulb.
  4. If a light is still dead, check its fuse against the diagram in the owner's manual, and only ever replace a fuse with the same rating.
Hand pulling a fuse from the fuse box under the dashboard
If a new bulb does not help, check the fuse, and only replace it with the same rating.

What people often get wrong

That it can wait for the next service. Lights are the single most common inspection failure, and a single dead bulb is also one of the more common reasons for a roadside stop in some regions.

When the car must go to a workshop

A bulb is usually an owner job. It is worth a workshop if a fuse keeps blowing, which means something downstream is drawing too much current, or if the headlights go dim or flicker at idle, which points to a charging or connection issue rather than a bulb.

Car parked at dusk with its headlights on
Headlights that dim or flicker at idle point to charging or connections, not a bulb.

Read next

This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. Symbols, codes and behaviour vary between makes. Always check the handbook for your own car.

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