How to Replace the Left Rear Tail Light Assembly on a 2004 Ford Focus

A broken tail light assembly on your 2004 Ford Focus is considered, by law, a safety hazard. The tail light assembly houses the tail lights, brake lights and turn signals, letting other road users know your intended direction and whether you are slowing down or stopping, for the purpose of avoiding a potential accident. Fortunately, the left-side tail light assembly on a 2004 Ford Focus can be easily removed and replaced, in just a few minutes.

Instructions

Replacement Procedure for the Coupe

1

Turn off the headlight switch. Open the rear hatch door.

2

Locate the access hole in the rear trim panel, just below the level of the left rear window in the rear cargo area. Reach into the hole and loosen the black plastic wing nut, by hand. Remove the wing nut and place it aside.

3

Locate the screw that secures the mounting flange of the left tail light assembly to the rain trough, near the strut that holds the rear hatch door up. Loosen and remove the screw, using a Phillips screwdriver, and place it aside.

4

Pull the tail light housing straight out of the rear of the car body to release the retaining clips that are holding the assembly in place. Be aware that the tail light wiring connector will still be attached to the back side of the tail light.

5

Twist the bulb socket on the back side of the tail light, in a counterclockwise direction. Pull the socket and bulb straight out of the tail light. Remove the tail light assembly from the car.

6

Replace any defective tail light bulb while the tail light assembly is removed. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket. Push a new 3157K bulb back into the socket until it is fully seated.

7

Line up the notches on the bulb socket with the slots in the socket mounting hole on the backside of the replacement tail light assembly. Push the socket into the hole. Turn the socket in a clockwise direction until it locks into place.

8

Push the tail light assembly into position on the back of the car until the retaining clips engage. Replace the Phillips screw and the wing nut to fully secure the assembly to the car. Close the rear hatch door.

Replacement Procedure for the Sedan

9

Turn off the headlight switch. Open the trunk lid.

10

Locate, inside the trunk compartment, the three wing nuts that correspond to the left tail tight assembly. Remove the nuts, by hand, and place them aside.

11

Pull the tail light assembly straight out of the rear of the car body. Be aware that the tail light wiring connector will still be attached to the back side of the tail light.

12

Twist the bulb socket on the back side of the tail light in a counterclockwise direction. Pull the socket and bulb straight out of the tail light. Remove the tail light assembly from the car.

13

Replace any defective tail light bulb while the tail light assembly is removed. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket. Push a new 3157K bulb back into the socket until it is fully seated.

14

Line up the notches on the bulb socket with the slots in the socket mounting hole on the backside of the replacement tail light assembly. Push the socket into the hole. Turn the socket in a clockwise direction until it locks into place.

15

Push the tail light assembly back into position at the rear of the car so that the three mounting studs on the assembly protrude through the mounting holes in the car body. Tighten the three wing nuts back onto the tail light mounting studs inside the trunk compartment. Close the trunk lid.