These instructions may also be useful for owners of other Nissan or Infiniti (made my Nissan Motors) vehicles such as the Maxima, Sentra, the Infiniti G sedan, and the Infiniti M sedan.

The replacement bulb part number is 921.

If you would like to have a brighter 3rd brake light, install a compatible 921 LED bulb.

I am not a professional mechanic and I do not take any responsibility for any damage that occurs to your vehicle, person, home, property or pets.

If you have any doubts, please consult an ASE certified auto mechanic.

Note: If all of your brake lights are "burned out" it might not be a problem with the actual bulbs themselves. If only the third brake light is out, then proceed with the next step.

Then gently push on the housing with your hand and lift with the screw driver. It should come off easily with just some minimal effort.

To unscrew the bulb and connector from the housing, rotate it about half a turn in the counter clockwise direction. It should come off easily without having to use any excessive force.

To remove the bulb from its socket, gently pull it straight out away from the connector. Some slight wiggling of the bulb might be necessary.

This is a clear sign that the bulb has indeed reached the end of its useful life.

Make sure you save the old bulb to take it with you to the auto parts store just in case you need to buy a different brand than I did in this guide.

The OEM part is a Sylvania 921 bulb.

Their computer system didn't seem to have an entry for the "high mount" third brake light bulb of a 2002 Nissan Altima. They told me that any bulb of the same size would work regardless of the voltage or wattage.

I chose a Sylvania 922 LL long liife bulb rated at 12.8 V (volts) and 12.5 W (watts). I left the store and hoped that I wouldn't have to return for another.

It shouldn't require much force so if it doesn't go in easily, try rotating the bulb to another position.

Before you re-attach the bulb's connector to the housing, press the vehicle's brake pedal and test to see if the new light bulb illuminates.

To do this, apply light pressure around the edges of the housing to snap the hook fasteners under the rear deck lid.

The housing should lay completely flat on the rear deck. Test to see if the housing moves around at all when touched.

Then verify that the light from the third brake light housing is easily visible and does not look obscured in any way.

That's it. You're all done. I hope you found this guide to be helpful.

If you've replaced the bulbs and your Nissan Altima's brake lights are still not working, try cleaning the metal contacts inside the bulb connectors with an alcohol soaked Q-Tip. Be sure to disconnect the 12V car battery first.

The problem might also be with the brake light switch. The brake light switch on a 2002 Nissan Altima is located at the very top of the brake pedal under the driver side dashboard. The switch is activated by the moving metal part of the brake pedal. This switch contains different terminals for the "high mount" third brake light and the other two primary rear brake lights.

Two other things you can check if the brake lights still are not working is the corresponding fuses in the fuse box and the wires leading up to the brake light bulb sockets.

For more of my related updates check out the following links: Nissan Altima Headlight Bulb Replacement Guide, Nissan Altima Crankshaft Position & Camshaft Sensor Replacement Guide, Nissan Altima Engine Oil Change Guide, Car Interior Carpet Replacement, K&N Air Filter Cleaning Guide, Buffing Faded Headlights Guide, Garmin Nuvi 260W Portable GPS Navigator Review and the Nissan Altima Rear Brake Light Bulbs Replacement Guide.