Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod

Feint

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I really didn't like how ugly the reflectors on the back bumper looked.
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220720_165727

So I took one of them off to find the part number.
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220719_205954

bk21-515b0-aa. So I googled it.

It turns out that the part number is very similar to what is used on the Ford Transit van.
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 2021-Ford-Transit-rear-interior-view-1024x681


So I went looking for an LED version and came up with this:
2x LED Rear Bumper Reflectors Brake Light for Ford Transit Van

Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod s-l400


So using PosiTaps, I replaced the reflectors with these lights.

Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_001408


They are two stage brightness. So I hooked up the dim output to the tail light halo lights and the bright output to the rear brake lights.
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_001356

Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_001235

At first, I didn't hook up the dim output wires because I thought it might be confusing to people at night that I was braking. But I changed my mind yesterday and hooked them up and I think it's safer at night since the back of the truck is pretty dark at night and these lights fix that.

Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_001328


There are a lot of options on Ebay Motors for these, some blacked out, some with less LEDs, amber, red, white, etc. The ones I got are red reflectors with 24 LEDs. Btw, the wires on the ones I got were just long enough. So you don't need to splice longer wires in. I secured the slack with zip ties to help prevent vibration wear.

INSTALL:
Remove trim and rear tail lights. I ran solder wire from the tail lights down into the bumper and out to the holes in the reflector area. I drilled a large hole behind each reflector light to accommodate the wire, taped the wire to the solder with electrical tape, and pulled the solder/wire back up through the bumper and into the tail light area. I then tapped the wires with the positaps and put everything back together. The positaps I used are the smallest I could find and are meant for tapping 18 g wire. The wires in the taillight are 20g for the ground and 22 for the other hot wires. But they still work. You just have to do it carefully.

Fair warning that the wires for the left and right tail light plugs aren't in the same position in the plugs for some unknown reason. I really don't know why Ford did that, but whatever. So test ahead of time before tapping. I'm glad I tested, otherwise I would have tapped the wrong wire.
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Petroph

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This is pretty neat! Though, do the LED housing still reflect light at night? The whole point is if you are parked on the side of the road it helps with avoiding getting rear ended if the car is completely dark. Especially in bad weather that could hinder regular visibility. Granted the white bronco letters on the back of the car should help too lol. 😅

Also, do you have reverse light LED and Brake/Turn Signal LEDs in the back there?
 
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Feint

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This is pretty neat! Though, do the LED housing still reflect light at night? The whole point is if you are parked on the side of the road it helps with avoiding getting rear ended if the car is completely dark. Especially in bad weather that could hinder regular visibility. Granted the white bronco letters on the back of the car should help too lol. 😅

Also, do you have reverse light LED and Brake/Turn Signal LEDs in the back there?
They "look" like reflectors but I went out to test them last night to be sure and they don't reflect light. So I'll find a solution for that.

More pics (day):
Brake lights...
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_122718

Running lights...
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_121159

Off...
Ford Bronco Sport Rear Bumper LED Reflector Mod 20220731_121211


And yes I've replaced all the crap incandescent bulbs with LEDs in the stock locations. After I first bought the car, I was stopped at an intersection to a side street and a bus going way too fast almost rear ended me. I had to accelerate away from it to avoid getting hit. So I ordered LEDs that night and they are much brighter and much faster to activate. Hopefully these new lights will also help to wake up stupid sleepy bus drivers.
 
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Glamdring70

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Excellent find and mod. You can't seem to have enough brake lights these days and good choice to not use the death-laser mode on them.

Other than drilling for wire, the "Transit" part snaps right in to the Bronco Sport retaining prongs?
 

MJE

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Wow what a cool idea to think that parts for a Transit might fit & sure enough they do. Nice!
 


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Feint

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Excellent find and mod. You can't seem to have enough brake lights these days and good choice to not use the death-laser mode on them.

Other than drilling for wire, the "Transit" part snaps right in to the Bronco Sport retaining prongs?
Yeah it just snaps right in. These Chinese companies historically take molds directly from the original parts, so they fit perfectly. The wires coming out of the new lights are sealed with glue or something to make them waterproof.
 
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Feint

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Wow what a cool idea to think that parts for a Transit might fit & sure enough they do. Nice!
Thanks. I thank Google for being able to search for part numbers.
 
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Not too bad. I recommend you do it before it gets too cold outside depending on where you live. And it takes a bit of patience to get your hands in there. I have large glove size so it was a tight squeeze getting my mits in there.
 

Meanderthal

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How difficult is it to pop off the reflectors?
When I did it I used a pair of hose pliers to give more reach and they squeeze the arrowhead snaps really nicely. The pliers look like needle nose pliers but the jaws have a loop bent into the ends. Highly recommended for this and several other trim removal jobs on the BS.
 

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Another option. Buy these in white. Wire them into your back-up lights. They would really light up the area behind your vehicle when backing.
 

Mrmike

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After seeing this thread again, I had another thought. The additional lights are good if they are turned on. However, if your vehicle is parked at night, and the lights are off, the reflectors will show up better to oncoming traffic than the turned off lights. Some folks might want to consider this.
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