2017-2018 CX5 Touring Taillights

A photo of what you're looking at would help. If you're swapping the housing only you shouldn't have to swap any harnesses (unless one is bundled with the new housing and you want to keep it).

Undo the 2 x screws. Whole housing slides out / unclips towards the rear of the car.

Then you should be able to remove the bulb holders and bulbs from the original housing. The wire harness could be snipped loose if it's tied to it.

The other end of the tail light harness goes through the metal body structure and into the inner trunk area where it connects to the main vehicle harness behind the plastic inner panels on either side of the trunk. It's pretty simple to get in there, but is a bit involved. This is why I'd say keep your original harness if the lights themselves are working fine.

Ok so I love this answer. The part I have is the whole part going down to the plug. On the part that I'm replacing I'm able to easily grab the bulb out but the other part really doesn't like me (I can't get it out.) So in your opinion I should cut those wires on the troubled part and put the new one in rather than plugging the new part all the way to the bottom? ( I still don't know how to access the plug )
 
This issue probably warrants its own thread as it's OT from the original post.

I wouldn't cut any wires. If you can't free the harness from the housing I would swap the harness as well. You will need to gain access to the connection behind the interior panels in the trunk behind the tail light. If you're not comfortable removing interior plastics I would think it should be a relatively inexpensive process to have the dealer do it for you.
 
I am also trying to swap out a tail light on a 2017 CX-5 GT. Any help in what steps are to remove the panel in the trunk cargo area? I need to swap the entire unit as the housing is cracked and is a LED set

Thanks




A photo of what you're looking at would help. If you're swapping the housing only you shouldn't have to swap any harnesses (unless one is bundled with the new housing and you want to keep it).

Undo the 2 x screws. Whole housing slides out / unclips towards the rear of the car.

Then you should be able to remove the bulb holders and bulbs from the original housing. The wire harness could be snipped loose if it's tied to it.

The other end of the tail light harness goes through the metal body structure and into the inner trunk area where it connects to the main vehicle harness behind the plastic inner panels on either side of the trunk. It's pretty simple to get in there, but is a bit involved. This is why I'd say keep your original harness if the lights themselves are working fine.
 
I am also trying to swap out a tail light on a 2017 CX-5 GT. Any help in what steps are to remove the panel in the trunk cargo area? I need to swap the entire unit as the housing is cracked and is a LED set

Thanks

I'm confused. You just want to swap out the main (outer) unit, right? You don't have to remove and panels to do that. Open the hatch and there's a little pry-off panel, about 3x1 inches, on the inside edge of the cluster. Unclip that and undo the two screws there, then just pull the cluster towards you to unclip it. Done.
 
Thanks for the info on removing the liftgate taillight assembly and the LED bulb info. Ill let you know what solution I end up with as I cant see driving around with these subpar taillights. I dont mind the taillights not being LED but I do mind that such a small portion of the taillight lights up. If you compare the CX-5 (non-GT) to any other modern car you will see how small and inadequate the taillights are.

Did you ever find out if the liftgate lights have the wiring in place to plug and play the GT LED tailgate lights?
 
Did you ever find out if the liftgate lights have the wiring in place to plug and play the GT LED tailgate lights?

I'm also wondering this. I read that the reverse lights on the liftgate are already LED, but I don't think the tail lights on the liftgate are.
 
I have a 17 touring. Can I just buy what the higher models have as stock bulbs and use those for my back up light, rear tail lights?
If I went to dealer and asked for the bulb replacement for a higher model that is led could I just use that?
Im so confused. All I want is led brake and back up lights. I know I have different type housing than higher model line.
Diode dynamics seems the way to go. Are they safe? Nothings gonna melt? Are they too bright? Will they sync in brightness with the upper brake light (is that led?)
What option did you guys buy for marker plate lights? Im looking for slightly brighter and whiter but not too bright. I know they have a few options.
 
I have a 17 touring. Can I just buy what the higher models have as stock bulbs and use those for my back up light, rear tail lights?
If I went to dealer and asked for the bulb replacement for a higher model that is led could I just use that?
Im so confused. All I want is led brake and back up lights. I know I have different type housing than higher model line.
Diode dynamics seems the way to go. Are they safe? Nothings gonna melt? Are they too bright? Will they sync in brightness with the upper brake light (is that led?)
What option did you guys buy for marker plate lights? Im looking for slightly brighter and whiter but not too bright. I know they have a few options.

Dealer likely will not sell you anything that isn't a direct OEM replacement for your model/trim level.

Check the Knowledge Sharing document in the CX-5 Resources section to see if any LED bulb replacements are listed, it's a great place to start.

Chances are the brake light will not look the same as the aftermarket replacement LED bulbs. Some LEDs are brighter than the halogen bulbs, while some are not (the cheaper kind). You'll need to research the bulb itself in more depth, or contact Diode Dynamics directly. There are different kinds of bulbs available - some with the LED resistor built into the bulb housing, and some that have the resistor and bulb as separate components that need to be wired together.

For license plate lights, aim for LEDs that have a colour temperature of 4300k or 5000k. 6000k may be too blue.
 
I like the Sylvania LED bulbs I bought at Auto zone. They seem quite a bit better than the oem filiament bulbs. I didn't do the license plate but all of the others.

The amber blinkers look great but they 'hyperflash' because I didn't add a little resistor. It doesn't really bother me but I might eventually deal with that, and include the front blinkers.
 
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