Grand Caravan

• 170,000 miles

Right rear brake light would not function even after new bulb and new fuse was installed. The tail light assembly (brake, park, reverse) is manufactured with aluminum circuit paths embedded in the plastic tail light assembly. If the brake light bulb element burns open and falls onto the parking element, it can draw excessive current and burn the aluminum circuit inside the tail lens assembly. This problem will likely not be visible on the outside surface of the assembly. A continuity check with a test meter will indicate an open circuit! If this happens, plan on buying a new or good used tail light assembly. I tried to fix the old one by grinding down the plastic to find and fix the open circuit path. However, by the time you buy the special solder for aluminum and the epoxy to cover the hole(s) you made, you just spent the $36 bucks in time and materials to fix the problem. Can this be prevented? Possibly by using the new LED brake light replacements. They don't have an element to short out! But, be prepared to spend about $7 to $15 ea for these lower current, long life replacements. I found mine on the Web.