Q: What does it mean if my reverse lights are not working?

Reverse lights are an important safety feature that alert pedestrians, and other drivers, that your vehicle is about to move or is moving. If there is power at the reverse light bulb terminals when the vehicle ignition switch is on, and the car shift lever is in the reverse position, the bulbs are burned out and should be replaced. On the other hand, if there is no power to the bulb terminals, there could be a faulty circuit ground, a wire break, a blown fuse (which itself would signify a circuit fault such as a short), or a bad neutral start safety switch which switch typically has the reverse light activation switch built into it. If the reverse lights are malfunctioning on your car and you desire that the problem be diagnosed and thence repaired, please request an electrical component malfunction diagnostic.