Hi everyone!

Relatively new owner of a 2004 Automatic Crossfire. I bought the car last month with a very bad case of Sticky Key, and last week I completed the fix thanks to the forum! However, now that I've reinstalled the dash and everything, all 3 brake lights are out, and the "Exterior Bulb Failure" light is on. When I brought the car home, the brake lights worked, and the EBF light wasn't illuminated. Curiously, the EBF light only turns on when the headlights are switched to the on position, and all of the rest of the lights seem to be in working order. I've already ordered a new Brake Light Switch. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar, or knows outright what the problem is. I'm guessing I dislodged or goofed something up removing/reinstalling the dash, but I'm kind of baffled at the correlation between the EBF and Brake Light Switch, if that is indeed my problem.
Thanks for reading!

 

Brake light switch failure does not cause exterior bulb failure light to come on. Usually the BAS/ESP light comes on, you cannot shift out of park, brake lights do not come on at all or cruise control does not work.

 

Thanks for your reply! the BAS/ESP light came on once, and went away, but that was weeks ago. Am I to assume one or all 3 brake lights are just bad, then, if it's just the 3 lights and the exterior bulb failure light?

 

I don't know but I don't see how all 3 brake lights would die at the same time especially since 3rd brake light is LED. It would have to be some other issue.

 

Have you checked the fuse? F8 if I remember correctly

 

STOP! You said the "EBF" light came on when you turned LIGHTS on.

Here is how the EBF will fail if it is brake lights turning that light on:
1) Start car, no EBF.
2) Turn on lights, no EBF.
3) Press brake, EBF turns on.
4) Release brake, EBF stays on.

If ANY other light on the car is the cause it works like this, say a headlight is out:
1) Start car, no EBF.
2) Turn on lights, EBF comes on.
3) Turn lights off, EBF goes out.

The brake lights are the ONLY latching "EBF cause" there is.
AGAIN: Notice the EBF light only "latches" on if it is a BRAKE LIGHT. Now, if the brake light switch is at fault, the EBF will NOT come on, because the EBF will get no switched power to the brake light function from the brake light switch.

Given the above, you can use the exact function of the EBF to troubleshoot what is going on. If the light comes on with the lights switch, leave lights off and see if the EBF light comes on with brakes applied.
If the EBF comes on with brakes applied, the brake light switch is OK.
If the EBF does not come on with brakes applied, the brake light switch or fuse to the switch is bad.

As others have said, there is no way that both brake bulbs and the LED strip have failed together. In fact, I've never heard of a brake light LED strip that completely failed, they fail one-half at a time.

 

I'd like to thank you all for your help! They were unrelated issues. The brake light switch had indeed gone bad (or I damaged it) and the EBF light was because of one of the side marker lights, I think? It seemed to have fixed itself by the time the replacement bulbs arrived.

 

Thank you for the update!