This automotive maintenance tutorial was specifically written to assist owners of the 4th generation (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021) Mazda MX-5 Miata in changing a burnt out rear side marker light bulb located in the back bumper cover.

Owners of other Mazda vehicles such as the Mazda2 (Demio), Mazda3 (Axela), Mazda5, Mazda6 (Atenza), CX-3, CX-5, CX-7, CX-9, RX-8 and MPV may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The compatible replacement miniature wedge base light bulb part number is 168 which is available from various manufacturers such as Sylvania, GE, Eiko and PIAA.

If you would like to have brighter rear side marker lights, install some 168 LED bulbs.

No tools are needed to access and replace the light bulbs.

The first step is to move to the side of the car with the burnt out light bulb.

Slide under the rear bumper cover of the car and locate the grey plastic bulb socket.

Rotate the bulb socket 1/4 turn in the counterclockwise direction before pulling it straight out of the housing.

If you have trouble removing a stuck, stubborn or rusted in place light bulb, please put on some work gloves and try again.

You could also try gently wiggling the old bulb back and forth while pulling it straight out.

If you would like to have brighter rear side marker lights, install some compatible replacement 168 LED bulbs.

Tip - If you installed an LED bulb and it doesn't work at first, you may need to remove it from the socket, rotate it 180 degrees and push it back into the socket. Some LED bulbs are polarized and will only work when the "+" positive and "-" negative metal electrical contacts are in the correct orientation.

To test the new light bulb, turn on the parking lights or the headlights.

Be sure to write down the bulb change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out all of my 2016-2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.