My rear tail light bulb is on permently even with the lights off. their is power going to it all the time. ive replaced the plastic bulb housing and the plug that fixes into it and still the same . could it be the sam unit

1) Open trunk
2) Remove small round plastic access panel with a flat tip screw driver by prying open
3) Remove flat tip screw holding tail light assembly
4) Remove tail light assembly by pulling outward, careful not to break plastic guide/nub
5) Disconnect wiring connectors
6) Remove plastic housing access plate on back of tail light assembly by twisting/turning tabs until they click and then lift access plate from tail light assembly
7) When viewing the the bulbs, the turn signal bulb is the bottom left bulb
8) Install in reverse order, ensuring tail light seal seats properly during installation

check sockets again the heat from brake light bulb warps plastic housing that the metal contacts are atached to. either replace housings $$$$$$ or gently pry up the metal contacts with small thin screwdriver or knife. good luck

You go through the trunk and on either side is the light housing unit that you remove 4 nuts from, pull out and there will be the individual bulbs to be replaced.

IN DEPTH:

In order to replace the light bulbs you will have to remove the entire rear light housing unit. In order to do this you must do the following:

1.Pop the trunk.

2.Loosen the trunk lining in order to reach the 4 nuts that are located on the right or left side and hold the light housing in place.

3.You loosen the trunk lining fabric by removing two small, black plastic fasteners that anchor the trunk lining fabric. These either screw loose or you will need to pop off using a blunt- nosed pliers ( a flat head screwdriver works in a pinch) by first pulling the square bit out (towards the direction of the back seat,) followed by the circular components.

4.Pull the fabric loose on either the left or right side to expose the 4 nuts holding the light assembly in place.

5.Now, look for the four gold colored washer and nut assemblies surrounding the tail-light assembly. Find yourself a 7/16 socket and remove those bad boys. The tail-light itself should be able to pop- out, otherwise you've missed a washer- nut.

6.Ease the tail- light assembly off of it's perch on the car and hold it red- side down. This will expose the wiring and "turn- locks" for the blinker and tail- light.

7.Remove the bulbs from the assembly by turning the turn- locks in the direction (counter- clockwise) indicated by the plastic molding, and pulling upwards, off of the tail- light assembly.

8.Pull the bulb from the turn- lock with a moderate tug of the hand.

Look inside the rear hatch area near the very rear of the vehicle. You should find a removable panel near the brake light housing. After you carefully remove the panel, look for some plastic wingnuts that hold the light housing in, and remove them, you should not need any tools to do this. After the nuts are removed you should be able to gently remove the tail light assembly from the rear of the car. Becareful not to damage the wiring. Now look at the back side of the tail lamp assembly and look for a locking tab on the light socket. Depress the locking tab and twist the light socket about a quarter turn, then pull the light socket away from the light housing. Pull the bulb out and replace it. Then reassemble and your done.

Took my Trailblazer to dealership. They replaced both rear tail light socket boards (these are plastic parts that house all of the rear lamps/bulbs and attach to tail light housing) They advised the sockets in the boards have a tendency to go bad. Everything works just fine. Cost of each part was approximately $29.00. Easy to replace yourself and save the labor.

Open up the tail gate, you will see two torque screws on the inside beside the tail lights. take these out, this will free up the housing and you can change it from there.

have you checked the bulb sockets to see if they are burnt or corroded sometime i see that the plastic melts around the contacts where the socket twists into the housing. if your lucky you might get away with replacing just the socket for the brake/running light bulb. but if it is too melted your most likely going to need a new housing

Laura E;

Most tail light housings use the same approach. The bulb is removed from the housing by twisting
the back of the bulf where the wires are. Usually the bulb itself has a rubber back and turning it about a quarter turn counterclockwise (remember lefty=loosey; righty = tighty) will release the bulb it from the taillight housing. Take the bulb with you when you go for a replacement to be sure you get the right one.
The bulb will only fit one way into its socket and the socket will only fit one way into the housing.

Good luck ,

Loringh

open hatch, look for two screws, remove , push tail light gently back and forth to release from clips pull light assembly out , twist bulb socket to remove from housing, replace bulb.

Open the rear tailgate There are 2 screws that hold light housing in place.. Remove the screws then pull the housing outwards till the clip behind it springs. You then need to knock the housing sideways (outwards) to free the 2 prongs that attach housing to the car body.
Unclip the rear housing from the back of the light unit & change the bulb.