2007 yaris hatch back 3rd brake light (stop light)

[shepd]

Originally Posted by Astroman

1985 and up passenger vehicles are required to have the 3rd brake light. Removing or disabling it can get you a ticket or fail inspection. Please stop spreading misinformation.

To the OP, the hatch just has the 4 red LED lights in the 3rd brake light. It meets legal requirements for all 50 states.

Required to have it for FMVSS, yes.

Each state has its own set of rules as to what constitutes a valid vehicle to drive. I know where I am (Ontario, Canada) there's no mention of needing to pass CMVSS (the Canadian version) anywhere in the highway traffic act, so there's no way to hit anyone up for a ticket based on that alone other than a manufacturer, dealer, or importer. It simply states the vehicle must pass safety. And, having read the requirements for passing safety, there is no rule about a third brake light.

I've had occasion to check this for random US states, and (no, I've never bothered with Cali) I haven't found any that require an FMVSS compliant vehicle after it leaves the dealer's driveway. It's rather fortunate that that is the case, or else hot rodding would be defacto illegal (how many people are willing to build several hot rods to smash up to receive FMVSS certification?)

I'm not trying to spread misinformation, it's simply that FMVSS and US state-by-state regulations on vehicle safety only overlap in certain ways. It's up to each person to decide for themselves what the rules are, that's why I would always encourage someone to review what their state laws say.

As to why I care... ...someday I'll import a vehicle from a rust-free US state. At that point the vehicle must comply with FMVSS as it is imported into Canada, plus a few specific CMVSS additions, although not all as exceptions exist in the import regulations (CMVSS is more stringent than FMVSS, but only by a little bit and not in any way that matters). FWIW, I have passed inspection with broken third brake lights in Ontario because of almost identical brake light regulations (we require two, CMVSS requires three but CMVSS inspections are not required nor offered).

Just to provide some confidence, here's a forum where people have dissected it for several US states. Apparently there are some outliers that require a third brake light as it is specifically mentioned in their state codes:

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums...rake-light-law

However, as we can see based on his post, the OP's state doesn't require it.