2013 Ford Fusion LED Puddle Lights Flickering Issue Solved!

[EP2013]

I went ahead and purchased led replacements for my 2013 Ford Fusion SE. I removed the oem puddle lamp and installed 6000K LED Puddle Lights that I purchased online. After installing the first one, I tested it and noticed it was flickering. I thought I had connected it wrong so I flipped it around and same flickering issue. 

I searched high and low and found a thread on here (just signed up and not sure how to tag or bump threads) that mentioned the 2013-2016 fusions need a resistor. Going off of their post. I went ahead and bought 3W 150 ohm resitors to prevent the puddle light from flickering.

Just to confirm, I was not reusing the original oem housing, and changing out the wedge bulb. I bought a complete set of replacement LED Puddle Lights with it's own housing and LED's.

It's kind of funny when I think of it that I was more nervous doing this smaller job than the bigger ones I have done. I've worked on my other cars (Infiniti & Honda) and have done labor intensive work on my own cars for over 6+ years (engine replacement, trans. body work, etc) but I have never tapped into wires. I didn't want to fry the ecu or other components of my Fusion. 

I just want to make it clear that using complete replacements and added 3W 150 ohm resistors and it works as well. 

The Puddle Lights I ordered were pretty economical (~$12-$13 usd) and the resistors were ~$4 for a pack of 5. 

Here is the link to the LED Puddle Lamp Replacements 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Side-Mirror-Puddle-Light-LED-Lamp-Compatible-with-Ford-F150-Explorer-Edge-Expedition-Flex-Fusion-Taurus-X-6000K-White-2-Pieces/319112880

 

And here is the listing I purchased my 3W 150 ohm resistors from 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/183448625634

 

(To clarify, I am not an affiliate for these products nor am I using affiliate links) 

 

To remove the oem puddle lights, it was tricky. I had to use two flathead screwdrivers. One to wedge in between the clip and the other to push down. My 2013 Fusion is not in perfect condition and it was already scuffed underneath the mirror housing, so I didn't mind if I added a few minor scuffs. If you want, use tape to mask off the area and minimize the chance of scratches.

I then disconnected the oem puddle lights. They were stuck on, so I used needle nose pliers and carefully pulled the connectors off. 

I carefully peeled off some of the wire insulation on the bulb housing with a regular box cutter blade until I saw the bare wire.

To clarify, the wires directly connected to the mirror housing are the ones I stripped down. I didn't tap into the wires from the replacement LED puddle lights. 

I then added One (1) 3W 150 ohm resistor to the driver and passenger side puddle light wires.

 

I connected the replacement LED Puddle Lights and Viola! They were not flickering!!! 

Once I confirmed they worked and didn't flicker, I covered the exposed wires with electrical tape. I also covered the connectors of the replacement LED Puddle lights as well (to prevent a shortage) 

 

The replacement LED Puddle Lights unfortunately were not a direct fit so I used the same box cutter blade and shaved very thin strips off the both sides of the clips. Not a big deal as I had anticipated for something like this to happen. After a few shaved strips, they fit like a glove!

I hope this helps!!!

 

[nikos]

Thanks for your detailed post and photos! ? I'd like to expand this topic with some theoretical thoughts:

- Some of the LED lamps already have these resistors and marked with "CANBUS"

- You can use different nominals for resistors between 150-1000 ohms starting from 0.25 watts. Less power (watts) - more heat on resistor, more resistance (ohms) - lower power consumption on a resistor. But there is a chance that resistors more than 500ohms may be useless.

- This tweak in fact disables your lamp health monitoring system and you will not be notified when this particular lamp would die.