reverse lights not working help!

zaptoo

Member
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2004 Mazda 3 i AT
Car Specs
2004 Mazda 3 2.0L Automatic

So reverse lights do not switch on, have replaced fuse (was blown) have switch out bulbs (just in case) and now I am wondering where/what controls the switch? The only clue I can seem to find is for a manual transmission. I called mazda and they said the inhibitor switch controlled the lights... which I have never heard of, so I ordered it just in case but I don't want to drop 85$ on something that may or may not work. Can anyone point me in the right direction here? Location and name (possibly even part #) of what I should check?

Cheers
 
Car Specs
2004 Mazda 3 2.0L Automatic

So reverse lights do not switch on, have replaced fuse (was blown) have switch out bulbs (just in case) and now I am wondering where/what controls the switch? The only clue I can seem to find is for a manual transmission. I called mazda and they said the inhibitor switch controlled the lights... which I have never heard of, so I ordered it just in case but I don't want to drop 85$ on something that may or may not work. Can anyone point me in the right direction here? Location and name (possibly even part #) of what I should check?

Cheers

There's not much left, really. I would've checked for voltage at the reverse lights. No voltage is a common sign of fuse or switch failure, although less likely would be a connector or other wiring issue. An intermittent short within the wiring path would cause the fuse to blow, so check the fuse again.
 
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I have the same issue, i have an 06 3s and the reverse lights dont work. I bought a new inhibitor switch for 37 from my friend at AZ but anyway, where is the inhibitor switch located im ready to get some back up light
 
I would double check the fuse, then put it in reverse and check for voltage at the reverse lights with either a multimeter or just use a test light. If you have no voltage at the reverse lights it is probably the gear position sensor which is probably located on the transmission.

I googled and looked through forums for about 20 minutes and couldn't find any pictures of the location of the sensor, or whether it does/does not control the reverse lights on this car. But this is the part

Have you noticed any other problems with the vehicle? Does this model have a gear indicator on the instrument cluster, and is this working correctly? If so, there may be a relay somewhere between the sensor and the reverse lights that has failed.
 
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