Have you ever experienced one or both of your Ford F-150’s tail lights suddenly going out as you’re driving through the night?
Not only is this dangerous for both you and the traffic behind you, but it can also get you pulled over. Thus, it’s important to familiarize yourself with your tail lights’ various colored wiring to diagnose the problem.
With the help of this article, we’ll shed some light on what each of these tail light wire colors actually means, and we’ll even show you useful wiring diagrams for reference!
Ford F-150 Tail Light Wire Colors and Functions (2008 to 2014)
| Wire Color | Wire Function |
| Black | Ground Wire |
| Yellow and Green | Parking Lights/Sidelights |
| Pink and Orange | Right Rear Indicator |
| Gray and Brown | Left Rear Indicator |
Ford F-150 models made from 2008 to 2014 have 4 different colored wires for the tail lights, namely black, yellow and green, pink and orange, and gray and brown.
Only the ground wire has one color, which would be black, while both rear indicators and parking lights have two colors.
F-150 trucks made during these model years have slightly fewer wires and a more simple color coding scheme compared to later models.
Now that you’re familiar with what the tail light wire colors mean on a 2008 to 2014 Ford F-150, we’ll be moving on to those on the newer 2015 to 2021 models, which have two separate tables for both the halogen and LED bulb options.
Ford F-150 Tail Light Wire Colors and Functions (LED) (2015 to 2021)
| Light Bar Wire Color Code | Factory Wire Color | Wire Function (LED) |
| Black | White | Ground Wire |
| Brown | Blue and Gray Tracer | Driver Running Light Wire |
| White | Green and Brown Tracer | Driver Reverse Wire |
| Yellow | Green and Blue Tracer | Driver Turn Wire |
| Green | Blue and Orange Tracer | Passenger Turn Wire |
| Red | Orange | Power Wire |
The 2015 to 2021 Ford F-150 models equipped with LED tail lights have even more colored wires, as we’re now dealing with two different sets of colors for both the light bar wires and the factory wires.
This makes checking the wires a little bit more complicated compared to those prior to 2015, so we urge you to write these tables down to not make any mistakes in wiring.
The wires for these F-150 model years now include separate wires for the driver’s side and the passenger’s side, and these will have two-colored factory tracer wires.
In addition, there is now a dedicated power wire that’s colored red for the light bar wire and orange for the factory wire.
Ford F-150 Tail Light Wire Colors and Functions (Halogen) (2015 to 2021)
| Light Bar Wire Color Code | Factory Wire Color | Wire Function (Halogen) |
| Black | White | Ground Wire |
| Brown | Light Blue and Gray Tracer | Driver Running Light Wire |
| White | Green and Brown Tracer | Driver Reverse Wire |
| Yellow | Green and Orange Tracer | Driver Turn Wire |
| Green | Green and Orange Tracer | Passenger Turn Wire |
| Red | Orange | Power Wire |
The 2015 to 2021 Ford F-150 models with halogen tail lights actually have very similarly colored wires to their LED counterparts, so make sure to take note of their differences as we highlight them here.
One such difference is that the factory wire color for the driver turn wire is “green and orange tracer” for the halogen version, while it’s “green and blue tracer” for the LED one.
Another slight color difference can be seen in the driver running light wire, which is “light blue and gray tracer” for the halogen version, but “blue and gray tracer” for the LED one instead.
Lastly, the factory wire color for the passenger turn wire is “green and orange tracer” for the halogen version, while it’s “blue and orange tracer” for its LED counterpart.
Ford F-150 Tail Light Wiring Diagram (BLIS LED Tail Lights)
Ford F-150 Tail Light Wiring Diagram (Non-BLIS LEDTail Lights)
Ford F-150 Tail Light Wiring Diagram (Incandescent Tail Lights)
What are the tail light wiring color codes for a Ford F-250?
| Pin Type | Wire Color | Function |
| Pin 1 | Light Green and Orange | Passenger Left Turn Signal and Brake |
| Pin 2 | Orange and Light Blue | Driver Right Turn Signal and Brake |
| Pin 3 | Brown | License Plate and Parking Light/Tail |
| Pin 4 | Black and Pink | Reverse Light |
| Pin 5 | Black | Ground |
| Pin 6 | Green | Center High Mount Stop Light |
As an added bonus, we’ve also included the tail light wiring color codes specifically for the Ford F-250, which is still pretty straightforward especially since we now have information about the pin types.
There are a total of six pins that correspond to the six wires of the F-250’s tail lights. Using the wire coloring scheme, you can now know which pin corresponds to a certain lighting function just in case you want to tap into them.
What is the importance of tail lights?
Tail lights illuminate the rear portion of your vehicle, making them very important for visibility especially when driving at night.
Tail lights allow other drivers from behind to judge the distance between their vehicle and yours, avoiding any potential accidents.
The tail lights on your vehicle, much like the headlights, are very important not just for illumination, but also for visibility during the night or foggy weather.
Without tail lights, it could spell trouble for both you and other drivers behind you, as they will only be able to see as far as their headlights can reach, which can be dangerous in situations where visibility is low.
In addition, driving without any tail lights or having broken tail lights is also against the law, as it’s required for all vehicles to have two working tail lights at all times, most especially at night.
Is it possible to fix your own tail lights?
Whether or not it’s possible to fix your own tail lights will depend on the nature of the problem and your own skill level.
Replacing lenses, bulbs, and fuses can be easily done by yourself, but wiring-related issues are more complicated and should be left to professionals.
When it comes to tail light repairs, there is no better way to get things right than to actually get an experienced mechanic to do it for you.
However, this doesn’t mean that you still can’t save some money by learning how to do some basic repairs yourself, such as replacing one of the bulbs.
Replacement jobs on tail lights will usually just require you to use common tools, such as socket wrenches, and look for the replacement part itself.
Repairing tail light wiring issues, on the other hand, requires an extensive amount of knowledge of electronics in order to properly diagnose where the problem lies within the circuit.
What is the law on tail lights?
All vehicles are required to have two tail lights in working condition and with no modification to their color.
It is illegal to drive with broken tail lights or without tail lights at all, and getting caught by local authorities even the first time will already get you fined.
Several US states may have their own laws regarding tail lights and other kinds of illumination on a vehicle, but the most basic one would be that your tail lights should be working in the first place.
Should you violate this law, you can expect the authorities to not take it lightly, as they will immediately issue you a ticket the first time around.
Other tail light-related laws include making sure that your brake lights are red in color and that they should be visible from a distance of 500 ft (152 m) from the rear of the vehicle.
What colors are the wires for a tail light?
The wire colors for a tail light depend on their specific function. The ground wire is black, the power wire is red, and the brake light wire is white.
Also, the right turn signal and brake wire is green, while the left turn signal and brake wire is yellow.
What are the 3 wires to a tail light?
The 3 most common wires found in a tail light are the black ground wire, the red power wire, and the white brake light wire.
What color wire is for the brake lights?
The wire color for the brake lights will be green for the passenger’s (right) side and yellow for the driver’s (left) side.
What color wire is for the left and right blinker lights?
The wire color for the left blinker light will be yellow, while the right blinker light wire will be green.
What does the yellow wire on a tail light mean?
The yellow wire on a tail light connects to both the driver’s (left) side turn signal and brake lights.
Why are tail lights red?
Tail lights are red in color as it is the universal color for “stop” or “danger”. Red lighting also travels the longest distance due to it being scattered the least by air molecules, making it more visible in low visibility conditions.
