Kia Forte Brake Center Lamp Replacement

2018+ Kia Forte Brake Light (Center) Trunk Replacement

ByRushit Hila, PE, ASE Certified Updated on

Reviewed/Verified by:

Rushit Hila
Rushit Hila

PE, ASE Certified

Rushit Hila is the founder of YOUCANIC and a passionate advocate for empowering car owners through knowledge. With a background in automotive diagnostics and years of hands-on repair experience, Rushit leads the YOUCANIC team in creating practical, easy-to-follow guides and tools that help drivers fix their own vehicles. His mission is simple: make car repair less intimidating and more accessible for everyone.

Is the center high-mount stop lamp of your Kia Forte not working? Learn how to fix the problem by replacing the center lamp light of your vehicle.

This guide will teach you how to replace the Center High Mount Stop Lamp, CHMSL for short, on the Kia Forte. It may also be called a center brake lamp, high-level or eye-level brake lamp, cyclops brake light, third brake light, or safety brake lamp.

What you will need

  • Kia Forte Center Brake Lamp
  • Flathead Screwdriver
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • Mechanic Metric Toolset
    • 10mm Socket

Procedure

  1. Open the trunk by pulling the trunk release on the left side of the driver’s footwell.
  2. Remove the eight push clips on the trunk shield by pulling them using a flat screwdriver.The Location Of The Eight Push Clips On The Door Trunk Shield.
  3. Pop out the handle on the trunk shield by pulling it using a pick tool.Pulling The Handle On The Trunk Shield Out.
  4. Remove the two screws inside the handle by turning them counterclockwise using a Phillips screwdriver.Removing The Screws Inside The Door Handle Of The Trunk.
  5. Pull the trunk shield out from the vehicle.Pulling The Trunk Shield Out Of The Vehicle.
  6. Remove the nine 10mm bolts holding the inner tail light and center brake lamp by turning them counterclockwise using a 10mm socket to remove the bolts.Removing The Nine 10Mm Bolts Holding The Inner Tail Light And Center Brake Lamp.
  7. Disconnect the electrical connectors of the inner tail light and center brake lamp. Press on the clip and pull the connector out to disconnect.Disconnecting The Electrical Connectors Of The Inner Tail Light And Center Brake Lamp.
  8. Press and pull out the rubber grommets on the inner tail light and center brake lamp cables.Pressing And Pulling Out The Rubber Grommet Of The Cables.
  9. Remove the driver’s and passenger’s side inner tail light assembly from the vehicle.Pulling The Inner Tail Light Assembly Out Of The Vehicle.
    Pulling The Inner Tail Light Assembly Out Of The Vehicle.
  10. Press on the clip and push it to pop out the center brake lamp.The Clip That Holds The Center Brake Lamp.
  11. Pull the center brake lamp out of the vehicle.Removing The Center Brake Lamp Of The Kia Forte.
  12. Feed the cable of the new center brake lamp into the trunk.Inserting The Cable Of The New Center Brake Lamp Of The Kia Forte.
  13. Line up the new center brake lamp to the vehicle and press it in to set it into place.Installing The New Center Brake Lamp Of The Kia Forte.
  14. Reinstall the inner tail lights back on the vehicle.Installing The New Inner Tail Light Assembly Of The Kia Forte.
    Reinstalling The Inner Tail Light Assembly Of The Kia Forte.
  15. Reinstall the nine 10mm bolts holding the inner tail light and the center brake lamp.
  16. Reconnect the electrical connectors of the inner tail light and the center brake lamp.Reinstalling The Bolts And Reconnecting The Electrical Connectors Of The Inner Tail Light And Center Brake Lamp.
  17. Line up the trunk shield back to the vehicle. Then reinstall the screws and push clips to set them into place.Reinstalling The Trunk Shield Back To The Vehicle.

Check these troubleshooting and repair guides for more help on your Kia.

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