Rear lower level brake lights out

[Austin Gillespie]

My rear brake lights are out (lower level left and right, upper level bar light works fine) but the weird thing is that when I turn the headlights on, the rear red running lights illuminate just fine but don't respond to the brake pedal like normal. I assume it's not a bulb issue as I believe the normal nighttime rear lights are the same bulbs as the brake lights, just getting brighter when braking. Any ideas on this? Thanks

[Ian Linden]

The stop lights and tail lights are dual filament bulbs (21W and 5W), so it is possible that both stop light filaments have failed, whilst the tail light filaments are intact. Try new bulbs before starting to check the wiring. Another possibility is poor contact in the bulbholders, but less likely in both sides simultaneously.

[Austin Gillespie]

Do you have a part number or link to those replacement bulbs handy?

[Ian Linden]

The Suzuki Part No is in the Parts Catalog, but I wouldn't use that.

Just search Ebay with "21/5 w brake lamp bulbs". The common IDs are "380" and "bay15D" and there is a bewildering array of exotic offerings, The old -fashioned plain filament bulbs are cheap and readily available in the UK, but look to be scarce in the US.