Footwell Lights not Working

So you picked up a brand new car. - a Lexus no less - and found something didn't work, but instead of contacting the dealer you went and bought a replacement part and tried to fix the problem yourself? What am I missing here?

Yea I don't see why you didn't contact the dealer. It never worked in the first place so it must be their fault.

Even a Chevrolet dealer would quickly fix an interior light in a new car that was not working, quickly and without question. Also, dealers have experience and tools to find out why it's not working. For example, did you test the socket to see if power is getting to the lamp? I would certainly do that before buying a replacement lamp, just as I would surely bring this to the dealer's attention on my next visit (as this seems like the kind of problem that does not merit a special trip). (Also, some LED lamps are polarity sensitive, and only work when inserted one way - did you try inserting it both ways?) My suggestion: put the original lamp back into the socket and let someone else take care of it for free.

supratt said:

So you picked up a brand new car. - a Lexus no less - and found something didn't work, but instead of contacting the dealer you went and bought a replacement part and tried to fix the problem yourself? What am I missing here?

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tnkrup said:

Just picked up my car yesterday. Drove it later that night and noticed the footwell lights were not working. I replaced the bulbs - nothing. Used the LED replacement bulbs I bought - nothing.

I am a noob when it comes to this. What may be the issue?

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Being a Noob when it comes to this you should have contacted the dealer directly before testing it with anything aftermarket. Dealers can be a pain in the ass and say that w-e you did caused the problem. However that being said the first thing you should have checked for was reversing the bulbs polarity by just turning the bulb to insert on the opposite end. if not the next step would be testing the socket for current with a meter or test light. In the event that you don't have a test you can attempt to check the fuses to see if the fuse may be bad or even missing. (you would be surprised how many times this actually happens with new cars).

Good luck

If I were you i'd replace the OEM bulbs, go back to the dealership and have them diagnose the issue, just never let them know about the LED bulbs. For all we know, the lighting issue can be as simple as a bad fuse for the foot well lights, or something extensive like something to do with the wiring harness.

soarer said:

If I were you i'd replace the OEM bulbs, go back to the dealership and have them diagnose the issue, just never let them know about the LED bulbs. For all we know, the lighting issue can be as simple as a bad fuse for the foot well lights, or something extensive like something to do with the wiring harness.

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Put the OEM bulbs back in. Do the overhead lights work as they are also tied into the door switch? If not go back to Lexus and have them fix it.

As others indicated it could be a fuse, wiring, or a setting in the vehicle configuration that only the dealer can do. As others have already indicated LED bulbs are polarity sensitive, but since both OEM bulbs didn't work putting in two new bulbs wouldn't help any.

Call the dealer.

Maybe a fuse and relay switch came faulty from the factory. It should a simple fix. Just replace both or either one.

Cheers.