Buick brake lights are too low

[u/DifferentCoyote4562]

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

[u/Popular_Course3885]

US DOT guidelines dictate size/location of where brakes lights can be located, with one major restriction being that your main two brake lights cannot be located on a movable panel (in this case, the hatch/trunk lid). Not sure why they couldn't use the out edge of the lights that are fixed to the side/rear panels, but I'm willing to bet this DOT restriction had something to do with whatever their thought process was.

I knew someone who used to have a Ferrari California, and the brake lights were just like this. The big round lights on the trunk lid couldn't be used, so their brake lights were down on the bumper too. He got pulled over all the time by the police thinking his taillights weren't working correctly.

[u/Simple_Sound_3840 → u/Popular_Course3885]

They can be on a movable panel - they just also have to have tail lights that can be seen when the panel is open. Ironically, Buick was one manufacturer that did the "secret tail light" thing on the Cascada. You see this on some Minis and BMWs as well.

[u/Konather → u/Simple_Sound_3840]

this. makes me think that the car thinks the hatch is open.

[u/Skirra08 → u/Simple_Sound_3840]

Yeah on the first generation California there were lights in the trunk for this reason.

[u/PseudonymIncognito → u/Popular_Course3885]

DOT also regulates the minimum size of the brake lights and I suspect the high ones are too small.

[u/Salsalito_Turkey → u/PseudonymIncognito]

This is probably the issue, but they could have put supplementary brake lights on the higher taillight assemblies and still been in compliance. This is just a lazy implementation.

[u/zinsser → u/Popular_Course3885]

The cars in OP's photos have a light mounted on the fixed panel next to the hatchback, but it's not used for a brake light as you expect it to be used for.

[u/hologrammetry → u/Popular_Course3885]

Ford figured it out on the Mach E. Almost the exact same profile/shape as the Invista but the brakes make sense.

[u/agentchuck → u/Popular_Course3885]

In Canada there's a regulation requiring a third brake light high in the middle.

[u/DarkSatire482 → u/Popular_Course3885]

There are ways around it to still be DOT compliant and not have crazy low taillights or lights on the tailgate/movable surface. Audi for example, has their brake lights for the Q7/Q5 on the tailgate that raise up with the tailgate, however when these are raised, the bumper lights act as brake lights.