Hyundai
Sonata Tail Light Bulbs Replacement Guide
How to replace a brake, reverse or rear
turn signal bulb in the tail light assembly of a 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Hyundai
Sonata.
 Sonata Tail Light Assembly |
 Tail Lights Access Panel |
 Pull Open Access Panel |
| This
automotive "how-to" guide was specifically written to assist owners
of the sixth generation (2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014) Hyundai Sonata in
replacing a burnt out brake, reverse, rear turn signal or rear side
marker bulb in the tail light assemblies. Owners of other Hyundai or Kia vehicles such as the Elantra, Accent, Veloster, Tucson, Santa Fe, Veracruz, Genesis, Forte, Optima, Rio, Soul, Sedona, Sorento and Sportage may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful. Replacement tail light bulbs from Sylvania and other manufacturers with their respective part numbers are as follows: Brake (Stop) bulb # 2357, Reverse (Back Up) bulb # 921, Rear Turn Signal Light bulb # 1156A and Rear Side Marker bulb # 168.No tools are needed to replace the brake or rear turn signal bulbs. To access the reverse light bulb, you'll need a small Phillips head screwdriver to remove the trunk liner fasteners. |
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 Brake Light - Turn Signal |
 1/4 Turn Counter Clockwise |
 Pull Out Socket |
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The first few steps are to open the trunk lid of
the vehicle, move to the tail light assembly with the burnt out bulb and
locate the rectangular access panel on the grey carpeting inside the trunk. Pull open the access panel to reveal the sockets for the rear side marker, brake light and turn signal bulbs. The Turn Signal bulb's socket is located closest to the center line of the vehicle. Remove the socket by rotating it 1/4 turn counter clockwise and pull it straight out of the tail light assembly. |
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 Old Turn Signal Light Bulb |
 Insert New # 1156A Bulb |
 1/4 Turn Clockwise |
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Remove the old turn signal bulb by pressing down
and then rotating it 1/4 turn counter clockwise before pulling it straight
out of the socket. Insert a new # 1156A amber colored bulb into the socket, push down, and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to secure it in place. Place the new bulb into the tail light assembly and rotate the white plastic socket 1/4 turn clockwise to lock it in place. |
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 1/4 Turn Counter Clockwise |
 Pull Out Brake Bulb Socket |
 Press Down & 1/4 Turn CC |
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The Brake light bulb is located at the
center of the tail light assembly and its socket is a light grey color. Rotate the socket 1/4 turn counter clockwise and pull it straight out of the assembly. Press down on the old brake light bulb and rotate it 1/4 turn counter clockwise to remove it from the socket. Insert a new # 2357 brake light bulb into the socket, press down, and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to secure it in place. Place the new bulb into the tail light assembly and rotate the socket 1/4 turn clockwise to lock it in place. |
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 Rear Sidemarker Socket |
 1/4 Turn Counter Clockwise |
 # 168 Side Marker Bulb |
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| The Rear Side
Marker light bulb is located at the corner of the tail light assembly
closest to the outer edge of the vehicle and has a smaller light grey
socket. Rotate the socket 1/4 turn counter clockwise and pull it straight out of the tail light assembly. Pull the old rear side marker light bulb straight out of the socket and push in a new # 168 bulb. Insert the bulb into the tail light assembly and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to secure it in place. |
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 1/4 Turn Clockwise |
 Replace Carpet Access Panel |
 Reverse (Back Up) Bulb |
| Once you've
replaced the burnt out brake, turn signal or side marker light bulb, replace
the rectangular grey carpet access panel over the rear of the tail light
assembly. The Reverse or "back up" light bulb is located by itself inside the trunk lid. |
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 Underside of Trunk Lid |
 Twist Out Rubber Stopper |
 Unscrew Plastic Fastener |
| To access the
reverse light bulb, you'll need to remove the rubber trunk stopper piece by
unscrewing it in the counter clockwise direction.
Then remove two or more of the black plastic trunk lid carpet fasteners by unscrewing their center pieces with a standard sized Phillips head screw driver before pulling them out. |
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 Pull Out Carpet Fastener |
 Remove Other Fastener(s) |
 Pull Back Trunk Lid Carpet |
| Once you have the
round rubber trunk stopper unscrewed out and 2 or 3 of the black plastic
fasteners removed, you'll be able to easily pull back the grey carpet trunk
liner. Locate the white plastic reverse light bulb socket and rotate it 1/4 turn counter clockwise before pulling it straight out of the trunk lid. |
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 1/4 Turn Counter Clockwise |
 Reverse Bulb Socket |
 Pull Out Old # 921 Bulb |
| Pull the old
reverse light bulb straight out of the socket and push in a new #
921 bulb. Pull back the trunk lid carpeting, inside the new bulb into the housing and rotate the socket 1/4 turn clockwise to lock it in place. |
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 Replace Bulb & Fasteners |
 Screw In Rubber Stopper |
 Testing New Tail Light Bulbs |
| Replace the trunk
lid carpeting and screw in the rubber trunk lid stopper in the clockwise
direction.
Make sure that the two trunk lid stoppers extend out the same distance from the trunk lid carpet. Replace the two or three black plastic fasteners that hold the trunk lid carpeting in place and screw in their center pieces with a Phillips head screwdriver. Test the new tail light bulbs by having someone step on the brake pedal, activate the hazard signals and place the transmission in reverse. For more,
check out my
Hyundai Sonata Repair & Maintenance Guides page. |
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