Replacing license plate light socket

Lill_Sebastian · 2025-09-27T14:33:14-0400

Hi Transit people,
I could really use help finding a replacement part of the license plate light socket. When I took it apart, the socket contacts were completely corroded away..nothing even left to clean off..

This really is a shitty design. Not only did it not seal to the housing (leading to corrosion), but it is built into the cable harness so I had to cut it off. The cable harness is also built into the door with a little bulkhead-like seal. Some pics below.

Can someone please help me find a replacement socket? Or do I need to just buy a whole replacement harness? This is so dumb. 😠

TT-SIT · 2025-09-27T21:20:22-0400

You're right, it's a terrible design. You don't need the whole harness.

Just get a standard waterproof license plate light socket (a "pigtail" connector) from any auto parts store. Cut your old wires, solder or use crimp connectors on the new socket, and seal it up well with heat shrink tubing. It's a common fix and works much better than the original.

as3ffd · 2025-09-28T01:08:11-0400

Or, buy one off of a wrecked Transit in a junkyard and wire it up.

Either way, once you're done, it might ber a good idea to put a thin coating of silicone grease on the lamp base. It will help seal out water.

Lill_Sebastian · 2025-09-28T09:00:21-0400

Thanks guys. Will try that and report back

OxfordComma · 2025-09-28T20:58:16-0400

I think the entire socket and lens are the same as a Fiesta which should be much easier to find if you want to be 100% original. I don't remember exactly the details of what I used to replace mine unfortunately (Fiesta sedan maybe?)but it was cheap and I just used some solder-seal connectors to the junkyard pigtail.
It's just a T10 bulb so as TT-SIT says, something generic would work, worst case with a blob of caulk.

Replacing license plate light socket

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