There has been a known issue with aftermarket LED tail lights. It disables your cruise control and also causes erradic acceleration.

This is ONLY when you use aftermarket LEDs. Obviously 2006+ stock have no problems.



Most aftermarket tails have 20 LEDs. Red LEDs commonly use about 15mA of current, with 20 of these it totals ~300mA which total about 3.6W. Stock uses 12V 6W bulbs which draw ~500mA. We want the LEDs to have the same power rating as stock.

Doing some calculations left me with the need for 75 ohms resistance wired PARALLEL because we need to REDUCE the resistance. We need a power resistor that can withstand higher power. 5W is sufficient because we most of the current traveling through the LEDs. (75ohm 5W power resistor)

Here is a picture of the wires. You can see there are 3 wires to the big connector and 2 to the small connector. We are only worried about the larger of the two. Black, Red, and Pink wires. Leave the Red wire alone.

Simply connect one end of the resistor into the black wire and the other end into the pink wire. Crimp, tape, or use wire nuts. Put back on. Go for a test ride.

 

Not sure if this might have a better home in the DIY section.

 

Would the OEM LED tail lights in say an 05 produce the same undesired effect
as the after-market lights?

 

No. OEM lights are fine.

 

Good to know...thanks

 

So if I have an 06 z and I buy aftermarket led tails I would have this problem as well right? (seems like thats what you said, but I just want to be sure).

 

It depends on the aftermarket taillights. Some people have been able to run them just fine, others have had this issue. Some brands are ok. What brands those are I have no clue.

You have an '06. Unless you change over to the OEM JDM tails I really don't think you're going to find LED tails nicer than the ones you have installed on the car already.

 

^ actually that is what I did. One of my tail lights got hit and it cracked. Nissan wants to charge me 260 for one! So I ordered the oem jdm tails (150 for 2) and I'll just put the tint on it and hope they look similar. Thats why I was hoping I wouldnt have any problems. Thanks for the help btw.

 

where did you order the JDM tailights for 150 bucks???

 

same place I ordered my turbonator and flame thrower kit (j/k)... ebay. I just placed a bid and got it for 150. I think the regular price is 170. They say they're oem replicas but they dont even look oem. They look like a cheap *** imitation from the pics, but I need a tail light before I get a ticket and I just dont want to spend 260 for one tail light.

 

^you got after market "similar to" the oem JDM ones. I have the same ones that are "similar to" the OEM 06s. I have had 3 sets of LEDs and never had a problem with this. Not sure where this rumor came from, but I can assure you, all of mine (and the current one with 20 LEDs, I checked) have had no problems.

Also, are the tails and cruise on the same circuit? If they aren't how could this cause these problems? Wouldn't you just bust the fuse instead if it was drawing too much? Just a thought, not sure if correct though.

 

^ thats what I thought, thanks for the info man lol. I've been getting kind of scared lately. How do the oem replicas look? Do they look similar or do they look kind of cheap. From the pics they didnt look to great, but they were decent quality for the price.

 

The reason that it disables your cruise control is because with the abnormal current running to the brakes it thinks they are being depressed, preventing your cruise from setting. Similiar to trying to set your cruise control while holding the brakes.

In any case, I know that there are many people that have had issues. Hope this helps you guys.