How do you change the tail light bulb in a 2002 Hyundai Elantra?

Answer 1

open the trunk, figure which bulb you need to replace, left or right, inside the trunk pull the fabric back where the lights are and you will see the access ports Fabric panel may be held in by 2 screws which you need to remove. If you don't have access to the bulb retainers yet you may have to pull off the entire tail light assembly. To do this look for 3 brass colored threaded studs and a 4th rubber covered stud. Remove the nuts from the 3 threaded ones. The rubber covered stud is a metal stud snapped into a metal retaining collar, probably designed to require a special removal tool. It's possible to center a strong nail or Phillips screw driver on the tip of it and rap it with a hammer to pop it through the collar. (If you wish to see what you're hitting first you can cut off some of the rubber near the end.) This will permit you to pull the entire tail light assembly off from the back of the car. Now the light bulb retainers can be rotated and pulled out, and you have access to the bulbs.