Buy Ford Fusion Tail Light Assembly

Before you dive in: Ford Fusion tail lights (also called rear lamps, tail-lamps, brake-light housings, or back-light assemblies) are safety-critical parts that must shine red, meet federal rules, and fit the exact model year of your sedan or hybrid.

Overview

Overview

Tail lights sit at the back of the Fusion and keep you visible when you cruise at night or hit the brakes. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108 says they must glow red and be bright enough to see from 500 feet. Modern Fusions (2013-up) use LEDs that light up faster than old bulbs, cutting rear-end crashes by roughly 5 percent. Designers have even studied how the shape of a lens changes how quickly following drivers react.

Fit Guide

Fit & Compatibility

• 2006-2009 (1st gen): Two-piece lamp-outer lens on the quarter-panel plus inner lens on the trunk lid. Uses 7443/7440 bulbs for the running-/stop-light circuit.
• 2010-2012 (facelift): Same bulb family but new styling and wiring harness.
• 2013-2016 (2nd gen): All-LED outer lamps on most trims; inner trunk lamps may be bulb or LED, depending on SE, Titanium, or Hybrid package.
• 2017-2020 (late 2nd gen): Full-LED inside and out; LED boards are service-by-assembly (no separate bulb). For exact bulb or connector info, see the Ford owner-manual bulb chart. (Ford Service Content)

Tip: always match the body style and build date listed on the tail-lamp label before ordering a replacement assembly to avoid hyper-flash or "lamp out" warnings.

How It Works

Lighting Basics

When you turn on the parking lights, a low-intensity filament (or LED string) in the tail lamp glows red. When you brake, a brighter circuit activates. LEDs reach full brightness about 0.2 seconds quicker than an incandescent bulb-enough to give a car behind you an extra 15 feet of stopping distance at highway speed. All Ford Fusion tail lamps must stay red; turn signals may be red or amber.

Failure Signs

Common Symptoms

• One side dark: blown bulb or a loose LED harness. Check Fuse F15 (passenger-box) on 2006-2009 cars or the Smart Junction Box fuse on later years.
• Both sides dark but high-mount works: Possible tail-lamp relay fault inside the junction box.
• Water or fog inside lens: Gasket leak-often fixed by removing the lamp, drying it, and resealing with clear silicone.
• Hyper-flash after LED swap: The car senses low current; add a load-resistor or use CAN-bus-ready LEDs.

Bulb & LED Options

Lamp, Bulb, LED Choices

Up-grading to quality LED retrofit bulbs gives instant on/off and long life, but choose ones that fit the 7443/7440 socket and have an internal resistor to avoid warning messages. Full LED assemblies with sequential turn signals are also available for 2013-2020 cars and are generally plug-and-play. Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows enhanced rear lighting can cut rear-end collisions, which backs up the benefit of LED conversions.

DIY Install

Installation Steps

1. Open trunk and remove trim clips to expose the lamp nuts.
2. Unbolt the 10 mm nuts (or Torx screws on older models).
3. Pull the housing straight back-avoid twisting to keep the alignment pins intact.
4. Disconnect the harness, twist out the bulb socket (if equipped), and transfer to the new unit.
5. Test before re-installing trim.

Inner trunk lamps on 2013-up models pop out by releasing tabs from inside the trunk lid. Fuses are listed on the lid of the passenger-compartment box, and a video walk-through helps locate them.

Safety & Law

Legal & Safety Notes

• U.S. law lets police pull you over for a cracked or dark tail light, even if the brake light still works.
• FMVSS 108 sets placement, intensity, and color rules; aftermarket lamps must be "DOT" or "SAE" marked to show compliance.
• Studies show flashing brake patterns and larger lit areas improve driver reaction on night roads.

Keep both rear lamps working; it's a quick ticket to fix and a big safety win.

Care & Fixes

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

• Keep seals clean: Dirt lets water in and causes fogging. Dry a damp lamp with desiccant packs or a low-heat hair dryer, then reseal the joint.
• Check wiring: Older Fusions may chafe the violet/white tail-lamp wire inside the trunk hinge.
• Fuse first: A dark lamp often traces back to a fuse rather than the LED board. Fuse layout charts for every model year are free online.

Costs & Warranty

Cost & Warranty

• Bulb only: Around $3 for a standard 7443; labor brings the shop total to roughly $98.
• Complete assembly: Aftermarket LED housings range roughly $100-$350 per side; paint-matched OEM LED units can exceed $450. (Prices vary by source and year.)
• Warranty: New Fusions fall under Ford's 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which covers lamps unless they're damaged by impact.

Disposal

Eco-Friendly Disposal

Broken tail-lamp housings are mixed plastic (often PC/ABS) and can be recycled where auto-body plastics are accepted. Remove bulbs and metal clips first; many municipal centers take electronic waste that includes LED boards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do the inner trunk lights on a 2013-2016 Fusion have bulbs?
A: It depends on trim. SE trims use replaceable bulbs, but Titanium and Energi models have sealed LEDs that require swapping the whole inner lamp.

Q: Which fuse controls the tail lights on a 2012 Fusion?
A: Check the Smart Junction Box under the dash-fuse #15 (15 A) feeds the park-tail circuit.

Q: Why do my new LED bulbs blink fast?
A: LEDs draw less current. Add an in-line resistor or select CAN-bus-compatible bulbs to restore normal flash rate.

Q: Is it legal to drive with a cracked tail-lamp lens?
A: No. Even if the light still works, most states allow police to stop you for a cracked lens that lets white light escape.

Q: How long do factory LEDs last?
A: Ford designs LED tail lamps to exceed 50,000 hours-often the life of the vehicle-assuming seals stay intact.

Q: Can I tint my tail lights?
A: Any tint must still pass FMVSS 108 photometric requirements; overly dark films can result in inspection failure or tickets.

Q: Water keeps returning after I dry the lamp-what now?
A: Inspect for hairline cracks or a pinched foam gasket. Permanent fix usually means resealing the seam or replacing the housing.

Q: Do LEDs really stop rear-end crashes?
A: Studies by NHTSA show quicker-lighting LEDs reduce rear impacts by about 5 percent versus bulbs.

Armed with the details above, you can choose the correct Ford Fusion tail-lamp assembly, install it with confidence, and keep your sedan shining bright and legal on every night drive.