I had the same issue with the tail light. Did the same diagnosis as you to confirm the bulb was bad. In fact, got the same response from VLED that this was uncommon. However, I will say they were great about the replacement and I've been lit up worry free for over a year.

 

Are the contacts making contact with the bulbs? I have used VLEDS since 2013. The only issue I ever had was a 194 marker light that stopped working a few months ago. You could test them in your 3rd brake light (cargo light) position as well.

 

I tried moving the contact wires on both the bad bulbs and it made no difference. I even tried to match them in positioning to the working VLEDS bulb, still nothing. I know they make quality stuff, that's why I think it's weird that I would get two bad bulbs. I wish I had today off so I could mess with it.

I did notice a very strong smell when I plugged in the bad bulbs, not necessarily burning plastic or fire, something I've smelled before, but can't place.

 

Yes, great customer service. They responded quickly, and got the replacement out the same day. It was nice that they wanted the bulb destroyed rather than having it shipped back, it definitely made the process quicker. On a side note, the bulb was pretty sturdy. I ended up putting it in a vice and hitting it with a hammer to break the base off. Last night I had a led from Super Bright break at the base just from moving it while it was plugged in.

 

On the replacement bulb, did you try to flip the bulb? Not flip the bulb from side to side, but twist the bulb's orientation, reversing how it's in the socket 180 degrees.

Add me to the list who has used VLEDs for several, several years and love their products and their customer support.

 

Yes, that's what I meant by flipping the bulb, I just didn't know how to convey it.

 

Just got a response from VLEDS. They are testing a new bulb and then sending it to me with a return shipping envelope. I guess they are baffled as to why this has happened twice, and want to actually test the bulb instead of destroying it.

 

I got the second replacement bulb today. I just installed it, turned on the reverse lights, and it works...But now the opposite one isn't working! I'm at a loss. I repeated all previous steps to test it and nothing.

 

...what the heck...

Idk this is weird. Tried putting the halogens back in? Curious if they work at least lol

 

Yes, the halogens work fine. In fact, I'm running one led and one halogen. Not sure why two LEDs won't both work at the same time.

 

Any chance you have a multimeter? Curious what the resistance of the LED vs. the halogen is.

I'm wondering if they have a bad batch of drivers(guts that light the LED) with too low of a resistance, which causes too much current and fries the LED. One LED good with one halogen plugged in reinforces the thought, the halogen filament being enough resistance to keep the LED from frying. Just a guess.

Edit: I meant test the one good LED vs. the halogen.

 

Unfortunately I don't have a multimeter.

 

I installed the new replacement bulb this evening. I removed both bulbs, put the truck in reverse and turned the truck off. I checked the reverse light sockets with a multimeter and both were around 12v. I tried the new bulb by itself and it worked. Next I plugged both bulbs in and they both worked. I then started the truck and turned it off and one of the bulbs was now out. I removed the blown bulb and tried it in the opposite light and it still did not work. I have no clue why starting the truck would blow one of the bulbs. If it makes any difference, it is always the passenger side bulb that goes out.

 

That's weird.

For reference, you can test LED bulbs with a 9v.

Maybe they are having a rash of bad bulbs.

I went through a few reverse bulbs, then gave up. NOT VLED's tho.

I also had an issue with tail light bulbs at one point.

 

^great point, test the bulbs with a 9v battery. If it doesn't light, switch the leads.


At this point, it's clearly your truck, which is strange. Are these 921 for your '08?

 

Hi...i am a new user here. In my case the only issue I ever had was a 194 marker light that stopped working a few months ago. You could test them in your 3rd brake light position as well.

 

The last response from VLEDS was that my truck was the issue, which I figured. They claim only there has been only one faulty bulb in the last six months. They sent me a return shipping label. I ordered a 10 pack of cheap LEDs off of Amazon to try to figure out the problem. They came in today. First I put the VLEDS bulb in the passenger side, the one that always blows, and they both worked. I started the truck and checked again and they were both still working. I replaced the VLEDS with the cheap LED and they both worked. Next I started the truck and both still worked. I'm puzzled as to why I can't duplicate the problem with the cheap bulbs. Unfortunately the cheapies are nowhere near as bright or as good of quality as the VLEDS. It's not dark yet, so I cant tell how much light output I'm going to have. Plus they are a little more blue than I care for.

 

After spending a fair amount on higher priced LED's, I started buying from Ebay a few years ago. Most of them are direct from China, unless otherwise listed as a U.S. seller.

Oddly enough, even with the defect/failure rate, they have been great.

Had 3 bad bed light (chmsl clear side lights) out of 10, but were less than $12 shipped for all of them. These are a spot, high intensity.

One other one failed when using them as plate lights.

The interior lights I had like 4 out of 20 that the terminal legs were just cut short. Also less than $12 shipped. Had enough that I could leave some in the old truck and do the entire interior of the new truck...

Tail lights, those were a total bust when I tried to use DDM tuning leds. DDM just sucks donkey nuts. They can Eph off, not even kindly. Their HID's also suck, fake warranty where they blame you for failure. Anyways, kept failing. Bought some off Ebay, no issues at all for like 3 years.


Reverse lights I don't get into. I made a don't asspack me hitch. 2" square tube, welded into a T, added tabs, mounted some cheap led lights, wired to trailer plug. They have been great for more than 5 years. Way more light than the reverse lights. I think I paid $30 for the led lights I mounted on it. Also welded a hook for any extraction. Or ripping off a bumper after someone asspacks me.
:lol5:

 

That's weird. I've had the vleds reverse bulbs in my 15 for over two years now and I haven't had any problems.

Did you get anything figured out?

 

Is a resistor required for the Tundra’s?

 

For turn signals it is.

Although if you just want to do the rear turn signals, these bulbs don't require a resistor.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M7SNRLA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I replaced my front turns signal/DRL bulbs with LEDs and used VLEDs resistors.

Brake/Turn Resistors - VLEDS Bulbs for Cars & Trucks

 

Bought some reverse lights from superbrightLEDs.com and had the exact same issue. They sent me replacements, but there's no point in using them until I figure out and fix why my truck is causing one of them to fail. The cheap ones still work, even though they are horribly dim and too blue.

 

This doesnt help with the issue.. but I replaced my reverse lights in my '17 CrewMax from this kit - https://goo.gl/cn7WNv I am not sure what make/model they are.. but they did work.