How to Troubleshoot Interior Lights in Vehicles

by Contributing WriterUpdated June 12, 2017

The interior lights on your Vehicles malfunction most commonly Vehicles two reasons: old bulbs or broken fuses. Replacing the bulbs on the interior lights of your Vehicles is simply a matter of twisting out the old bulb and installing the new one. Similarly, replacing the fuse on a Vehicles requires pulling out the old fuse and replacing it with a new one.

Under The Hood:

 How to Troubleshoot Interior Lights in a Toyota Sequoia

Check the bulbs in the interior lights. Use the flathead screwdriver to pry off the plastic cover. Inspect the bulbs to see if they are bad. A bulb can be checked by looking at its filament. The two parts should meet; if they are separated, the bulb is bad. If a few of your interior lights don't work, it could be a bulb problem. If none of them work, it is likely not a bulb problem.

Locate the fuse boxes. The Sequoia has two fuse boxes, one on the passenger side floorboard kickpanel and on the driver's side just above the parking brake. Remove the cover and examine the fuses. Use the tweezers to pull out the fuses and check them. The fuses that could affect interior lights are 10A fuses. The filament in a blown fuse will be disconnected.

Bring the vehicle to your Toyota dealer, if the other options do not work for you. Your Sequoia very likely has a wiring problem somewhere in the vehicle and wiring problems are very difficult to find. The work is recommended for a professional. The short in the wiring will have to be fixed.

Items you will need

  • Flathead screwdriver

  • Replacement bulb

  • Tweezers

 How to Troubleshoot the Interior Lights in a Honda CRV

Open the fuse panel cover under the steering wheel and locate the fuse puller on the fuse panel.

Use the fuse diagram on the underside of the fuse panel cover to locate the fuse for the interior lights.

Remove the fuse for the interior lights using the fuse puller and check the fuse. The metal strip inside the fuse should not be broken or damaged. If it is, replace the fuse with another fuse of the same amperage.

Check each individual interior light. If the fuse for the interior lights is good, then any lights not working will need a new bulb. Remove the lens cover on the interior light in question using a screwdriver. Wedge the screwdriver under the small notch on the end of the lens cover and pry the cover off. Pull the bulb straight out of the bulb terminal and insert the new bulb. Then replace the lens cover.

Check the manual light switch on the vehicle. The CRV has a manual override on some of the interior lights, such as the overhead dome light, that allows the light to be turned off manually. If this light was unintentionally switched to the "Off" position, the light will never come on. To correct this problem, simply set the switch to the middle position. This will cause the light to come on only when the door is open. Alternatively, you can set the switch to "On," and this will turn the light on regardless of whether the door is open or not.

Items you will need

  • Replacement lights

  • Screwdriver

 How to Troubleshoot the Interior Lights in a Chevy Tahoe

Turn off all the lights on your Tahoe. Switch off the engine and put on the gloves. The Tahoe has six interior lights, all located on the roof of the vehicle.

Rotate any burnt out bulbs on the Tahoe counterclockwise. Make sure you are wearing gloves when installing new bulbs, otherwise you risk ruining the bulb. Install the new bulb by rotating it clockwise. Test the bulb by switching it on. If it is not working, the Tahoe's interior lighting fuse should be checked.

Open the Tahoe's hood and remove the cover of the fuse box in the engine compartment. Locate the fuse labeled "INTPARK." This is the interior lighting fuse. If the fuse is broken, replace it. The "INTPARK" fuse, or any fuse for that matter, is broken when the metal stick inside the fuse is no longer in a single piece.

Pull the fuse out with a fuse extractor and install the new fuse. Do not force it in. Reattach the cover and close the hood.

Items you will need

  • Gloves

  • Fuse extractor

  • Bulb

  • Fuse

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