r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DifferentCoyote4562 • 11h ago

I saw a ducky once Buick brake lights are too low

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Gallery image

Not my pictures, but saw this car today. The brake lights are definitely not where you'd expect them and annoyingly low

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u/Petridishmocktail 10h ago

Just an FYI, this law in the US is a direct result of minivans in the 1980s. Minivans had the lights on the back hatch and when the hatch was closed it would vibrate over time and cause the brake lights to fail. Therefore the US banned the practice.

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u/Crafty-Astronomer-32 9h ago

Do you have a source for any of this? Which minivan, in particular, had this issue? What minivan on sale today has lights in the bumper to mitigate this?

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u/Petridishmocktail 9h ago

It was predominantly the Chrysler minivans. I believe they hit the market in 1982.

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u/EC_TWD 8h ago

At the pinnacle of Chrysler’s electrical and electronic superiority

…..said no one ever

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u/Petridishmocktail 8h ago

At least they were substantially better than British/lucas electronics....

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u/Crafty-Astronomer-32 8h ago

I can't find anything that backs you up. Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth minivans have never had tail/brake/turn lights that move with the tailgate/hatch. The 80s included legislation to begin requiring a center high-mount stop light, but that was not specifically for minivans (and minivans classified as light trucks were initially exempt).

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u/Tony_Three_Pies 4h ago

That's apocryphal.

The rule is about safety when you're stopped on the side of the road, presumably with the tailgate or trunk open while you access the spare tire or other tools. If the only lights are on the tailgate or trunk then you can't seem them at all when they're open.

There are still cars that have the lights in the tailgate (or trunk). That's not prohibited, you just have to have another set of lights somewhere else that turn on when tailgate/trunk is lifted.

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u/CuppieWanKenobi 9h ago

Then explain the rear lights on a BMW i3 or iX.

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u/Petridishmocktail 9h ago

They have a second set of brake lights that's fixed in the rear sheet metal/bumper. There are quite a few cars that do it that way.

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u/CuppieWanKenobi 8h ago

Yes they do.
The regulation has nothing to do with "bulb failure". The requirement is that there still be tail, brake, and signal lamps visible to the rear with the rear gate open.

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u/pf3 6h ago

My 2017 Bolt had lights on the back hatch, though I see newer bolts don't seem to use those lights anymore, making them guilty of having too low brake lights.