How to Replace Reverse Light Assembly 2009-17 Chevy Traverse
Created on: 2018-02-26
How to install, repair, fix, change or replace a broken, damaged, burned out, cracked, faded, cloudy or chipped tail light / brake light on 12 Chevy Traverse.
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step 1 :Removing the Rear Hatch Trim Panel
- Pry out the push clips from the trim panel
- Pry out the handle with a trim tool
- Remove the two 7mm screws from either side of the handle
- Pry out the lock on the upper hatch latch
- Disconnect the handle from the upper hatch
- Pry off the upper trim panel
- Pry off the lower trim panel
- Disconnect the electrical connectors
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step 2 :Removing the Reverse Light Housing Assembly
- Turn the socket counterclockwise to lock it
- Remove the 10mm bolts from the assembly
- Remove the reverse light
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step 3 :Installing the Reverse Light Housing Assembly
- Press the housing into the hatch
- Press the white clips onto the light housing
- Tighten the 10mm bolts to the assembly
- Turn the socket clockwise to lock it
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step 4 :Installing the Rear Hatch Trim Panel
- Connect the electrical connectors
- Lift the panel so that it latches onto the metal clips
- Press the lower trim panel into place
- Press the upper trim panel into place
- Connect the upper hatch latch and press in the lock
- Tighten the two 7mm screws to the lower trim panel
- Press on the handle
- Press on the push clips
Tools needed
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Socket Extensions
Flat Blade Screwdriver
7mm Socket
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Hi, I’m Mike from 1A Auto. We’ve been selling auto parts for over 30 years!
To replace the backup light or reverse light, we have to open up the hatch. To remove this trim, we'll start by removing these two pushed clips by the door latch. Use a small flat bladed screwdriver to pop them up. Pull out the center to unlock them, and then pry up with this. Pull all the way out. Do the same for both.
To remove this handle, the plastic is actually separated. There's a seam here. Use these plastic prying tools. You can get these from 1aauto.com. Let's start at one side. Get started, get towards the middle here, and pry down on that. With a good sharp pull, pull it right out. There are two seven millimeter screws on either side that need to be removed. We need a seven millimeter socket and a driver handle and remove them. I'm going to hold on this handle so it doesn't fall. There we go.
Before you can remove the lower section trim, the upper section trim needs to come off. To remove the little lifting arm, take a flat-bladed screwdriver and pull the lock out. Pop it off the ball joint here. Get that out of the way.
Going to start over here and disconnect it. It's got snap clips or metal clips that clip into the body. Just got to pull it down and out. Just kind of go along and do the same thing. Pull it right out. The rest of the panel is held on with clips. You pull down on it to separate it. Lower the plastic trim. It might take some force to pull it off the clips. The plastic clips holding these electrical connectors break. It's not a big deal. Just unplug the electrical connectors.
You can then lower the panel some more, and then slide it off the front and take it out of the vehicle. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise to unlock it and pull the bulb out. Take a 10 millimeter deep socket extension and ratchet. We're going to remove or loosen these nuts. They will come with these white brackets. They're attached.
These white brackets hold the lens into the body. Push the lamp up slightly. It does have two clips on the edge of the body here, so it's going to be pushed outwards. Lift it up and out. There's the light assembly.
Put the light back in the body. Get it lined up. You also need to catch these little tabs with body seams. I'm just going to tilt it down to get them caught. Install the white clips. They do have alignment tabs here that match up with openings on that light housing. To get them started and then readjust them. You're just going into a plastic housing. You don't want to break them. As soon as they get tight, just stop.
I'm going to install the bulb and socket. Turn it clockwise to lock it. Then get this up. There's a lip here, and along this edge it's going to meet into these metal clips here and here. Then we're going to push it up and it'll clip into place. But before we do that, we have to plug in these. Kind of lift it in place and reach up or plug in the courtesy lights. This is for the electric hatch. If it's broken, don't worry about it. This will just slide up in place. Careful you don't press this button because the door will want to come down and it's not connected to the lift arm there. Fit this up into place. It's a bit awkward because you're working up above your head, kind of get it in place. Once you get those caught, then you can push this in back into the clips.
Install the upper trim. It's got an opening here. It's going to go over the little mount for the lift arm. It also has these metal push clips on the edge. Alignment tab here that will go into here and clips over here, they're going to clip through this darker trim. That lined up. I'm going to start on this side, flip it in, and work this around.
I'll get this side lined up, and get this alignment pin pushed into place. We'll just push into place. This should clip right back on, locked in place. Then push the handle up into place and carefully guide this long self-tapping screw up there. Get it started. Tighten it up. The same for the other one. Push this trim back in place. Start it over here. Line up those three openings there. Just push it right up. Put the plastic push clips and the base is in. Push the set apart in. The same for both of them.
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