DIY: Trunk Latch & Third Brake Light Fix
04-18-2012, 10:38 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
DIY: Trunk Latch & Third Brake Light Fix
Edit: Dec 2015 Sorry for the non working pictures. I will try to update when I get home.
I have a MY'00 and a while ago my automatic trunk latch release stopped working, both the button in the car and also the car key remote would not open the trunk. I thought it was due to old age and maybe the trunk release mechanism itself was broken. Only the key would open the trunk. Although inconvenient at times, I decided not to fix it. My reasoning being, when I use the trunk I'm usually standing outside the car anyways, so having to use the key, instead of the key fob, was not a huge deal. A few weeks later, I noticed that my third brake light was not working either. I assumed it was unrelated.
A while later, another member on the boards told me that his trunk release button was not working. I asked him if his third brake light was out as well and he said, yes. He then traced the wires back and noticed that both the third brake light & the trunk release wires were on the same bundle. When he took apart the wire bundle he saw that the wires were cut clean through and upon splicing them back together, the problem was solved. Following is my write up of how I fixed my problem.
***CLIFF NOTES VERSION: If you have an older model S and your third brake light & trunk release don't work, this may be the problem. Check out the pictures below for the fix. For those that haven't had this happen, you can take preventative measures to ensure this doesn't happen to you.
What you will need:
Flat head screw driver or small pry bar (for plastic clips)
A very small flat head screw driver or flat metal pick
Electrical tape
Wire strippers
Wire crimper or wire splicing tool OR you can solder wires
Total time: About 20 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Instructions:
Remove trunk trim pieces
(Remove the 4 plastic clips. Top 3 can be pulled out. Bottom one pry out carefully.)
https://sphotos-a-pa...048321649_n.jpg
(Remove the 4 plastic clips on the left side. The RED DIAMOND one is a twist off. Pry the other 3 off carefully or break two of them like I did. Don't mind the box, that's my custom NOS tank
)
https://sphotos-b-pa...911042914_n.jpg
Trace the wire bundle down and remove it from the clip circled in red.
https://fbcdn-sphoto...065086824_n.jpg
Use the small flathead to press the plastic piece down and pry the clip open.
https://sphotos-b-pa...942262751_n.jpg
Remove the electrical tape.
https://fbcdn-sphoto...142242573_n.jpg
You can see the damage caused by years of repeated bending. This is what caused the wires to snap.
https://fbcdn-sphoto...231751830_n.jpg
After removing the protective plastic wire sleeve. I see the wires that have been broken.
(Red & Yellow - Trunk Release)
(White & Black - Third Brake Light)
https://fbcdn-sphoto...868992759_n.jpg
Another view of the broken wires.
https://sphotos-a-pa...894337771_n.jpg
All are cut clean off!
https://sphotos-a-pa...806433774_n.jpg
Splice all the wires together and you're all done!
All in all, not a tough job, although getting into the trunk was kind of interesting. I found the best way to work like that was to drape a towel over the trunk and sit with one leg in and one leg out, kind of like riding a bike
For those that want to prevent this from happening, I suggest removing the WHITE clip that attaches the wire bundle to the underside of the car body. This clip is what causes the wires to get pinched. Removing the bundle from the clip gives the wires more play, hopefully preventing it from being pinched and broken. I wonder if Honda has a TSB for this, it seems like a factory defect to me. Poor placement of the wire clip causes the wires to snap under normal and intended trunk use.
I have a MY'00 and a while ago my automatic trunk latch release stopped working, both the button in the car and also the car key remote would not open the trunk. I thought it was due to old age and maybe the trunk release mechanism itself was broken. Only the key would open the trunk. Although inconvenient at times, I decided not to fix it. My reasoning being, when I use the trunk I'm usually standing outside the car anyways, so having to use the key, instead of the key fob, was not a huge deal. A few weeks later, I noticed that my third brake light was not working either. I assumed it was unrelated.
A while later, another member on the boards told me that his trunk release button was not working. I asked him if his third brake light was out as well and he said, yes. He then traced the wires back and noticed that both the third brake light & the trunk release wires were on the same bundle. When he took apart the wire bundle he saw that the wires were cut clean through and upon splicing them back together, the problem was solved. Following is my write up of how I fixed my problem.
***CLIFF NOTES VERSION: If you have an older model S and your third brake light & trunk release don't work, this may be the problem. Check out the pictures below for the fix. For those that haven't had this happen, you can take preventative measures to ensure this doesn't happen to you.
What you will need:
Flat head screw driver or small pry bar (for plastic clips)
A very small flat head screw driver or flat metal pick
Electrical tape
Wire strippers
Wire crimper or wire splicing tool OR you can solder wires
Total time: About 20 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Instructions:
Remove trunk trim pieces
(Remove the 4 plastic clips. Top 3 can be pulled out. Bottom one pry out carefully.)
https://sphotos-a-pa...048321649_n.jpg
(Remove the 4 plastic clips on the left side. The RED DIAMOND one is a twist off. Pry the other 3 off carefully or break two of them like I did. Don't mind the box, that's my custom NOS tank
)https://sphotos-b-pa...911042914_n.jpg
Trace the wire bundle down and remove it from the clip circled in red.
https://fbcdn-sphoto...065086824_n.jpg
Use the small flathead to press the plastic piece down and pry the clip open.
https://sphotos-b-pa...942262751_n.jpg
Remove the electrical tape.
https://fbcdn-sphoto...142242573_n.jpg
You can see the damage caused by years of repeated bending. This is what caused the wires to snap.
https://fbcdn-sphoto...231751830_n.jpg
After removing the protective plastic wire sleeve. I see the wires that have been broken.
(Red & Yellow - Trunk Release)
(White & Black - Third Brake Light)
https://fbcdn-sphoto...868992759_n.jpg
Another view of the broken wires.
https://sphotos-a-pa...894337771_n.jpg
All are cut clean off!
https://sphotos-a-pa...806433774_n.jpg
Splice all the wires together and you're all done!
All in all, not a tough job, although getting into the trunk was kind of interesting. I found the best way to work like that was to drape a towel over the trunk and sit with one leg in and one leg out, kind of like riding a bike
For those that want to prevent this from happening, I suggest removing the WHITE clip that attaches the wire bundle to the underside of the car body. This clip is what causes the wires to get pinched. Removing the bundle from the clip gives the wires more play, hopefully preventing it from being pinched and broken. I wonder if Honda has a TSB for this, it seems like a factory defect to me. Poor placement of the wire clip causes the wires to snap under normal and intended trunk use.
04-21-2012, 03:18 PM
#2
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nice write up, but sadly other car manufactures are the same. the volvos i work on always come in for trunks not opening, and i just re-route the wires diffrently.
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11-03-2013, 10:57 AM
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I found these myself and took pictures. Before I posted I did a search and found this thread. My pictures aren't nearly as clear as the pictures above so I won't post them.
My wiring was broken in exactly the same spot. The break in the wires (x4) were perfectly clean. Once in a while I'd open the trunk and my third brake light would flicker, so obviously the wires were getting crossed inside of the wire sheath. I imagine everyone will eventually have this problem. Honda really should have used an insulated flexible wire bundle for this application.
I'm going to add a short length of wiring and then butt splice everything together.
My wiring was broken in exactly the same spot. The break in the wires (x4) were perfectly clean. Once in a while I'd open the trunk and my third brake light would flicker, so obviously the wires were getting crossed inside of the wire sheath. I imagine everyone will eventually have this problem. Honda really should have used an insulated flexible wire bundle for this application.
I'm going to add a short length of wiring and then butt splice everything together.