2003 convertible, switching (or want to) all exterior lights to LED's.
1. Installed a Hyper flash harness.
2. Installed new F1 LED 3rd brake light. When braking the light flashes multiple times before a constant red.
3. Installed new front LED DRL, Marker light, Directional light assemblies. Signals are sequential.
4. Installed LED Rear marker light assemblies.
5. Installed LED head light bulbs.
6. Installed LED License plate bulb.
7. Installed LED Back up bulbs.

Issue is weird. I tried replacing the tail lights bulbs before and after I installed the new LED items listed above. When replacing the rear tail light bulbs with LED's on the drivers inside light / socket will not work with an LED bulb. The other 3 lights and 3rd brake light work as they should. Flipped light thinking polarity. Not the issue. Bent the tabs on the LED thinking it was not bent out far enough to make good contact with the contacts in the socket. Not the issue. All LED bulbs are good. Moved a working LED bulb from one of the working tail lights to the one I'm having issues with. The LED will not work in that socket. Reinstalled the stock bulbs and the lights work as they should. Saw a post from 2022 with a similar issue but for the passenger side inside tail ight having the issues I have on the drivers side. Didn't have a resolution. IDEAS?

 

Yep, that sounds pretty strange. You did most of what I would have done in swapping in a known good LED bulb and also bending the pins a bit. I probably would have measured the voltage at the socket, but if the stock bulb works in that socket that indicates voltage is present. Let me ask a question.

1. When all the tail lights are LED except the "problem" light is a standard bulb, do they all seem to work OK? If so, I'd have to say you have a problem with the LED bulb not making proper contact in that socket. These sockets are 20+ years old and the (probably Chinese) LED bases are slightly different. Maybe wiggling the LED bulb will give you a brief flash of light indicating poor contact for some reason. You can get a new socket or two from your local auto parts store or from Amazon pretty cheap, then it would be pretty easy to temporarily clip it in.

As soon as it warms up I'm tossing in some LED tail/3rd brake lights also, but I bought the halo assembly's from Vette Lights instead of individual bulbs.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

I get out my multimeter and start testing the socket. What readings are different at the bad socket vs the good sockets?
You say "does not work" is that with both brake and tail functions?

 

Just a heads up - if you get service traction control warnings it will be related to the 3rd brake light. The OEM light is actually LED and you can actually install a pulser module. Did you try installing the regular brake light bulbs in both orientations in the socket?