[mrplt]

Hi!

My car's not arriving for another 76 days, but it doesn't mean I can't order some accessories. Already ordered a Wireless Carplay adapter and a rear armrest thing (I don't know if I am going to like it but either way I can use it on my couch at home too).
A couple of days ago, I ordered a bunch of LED bulbs from AliExpress and I wanted to create a master thread for lightbulbs. Also I saw @CrossSaint 's car on Reddit with its new LED DRLs.

The rule of thumb is that if a light is LED, it is not user-replaceable. For all trims except XLE, it means the headlights (Low/High) and tail lights. For XLE; you get LED DRLs and turn signals in front as well. (I don't know about side markers for the XLE)
So, the ones that can be replaced are easily identifiable, and you don't necessarily have to pay extra for a kit that is advertised to "work for Corolla Cross."

User-replaceable lights:

• Front side markers: 5 watts, wedge type, white. You can search for W5W bulbs.
• Front turn signals: 21 watts, wedge type, amber. You can search for W21W bulbs.
• DRLs: 5 watts, wedge type, white. W5W
• Rear side markers: 5 watts, wedge type, white. W5W
• Back-up lights: 16 watts, wedge type, white. You can search for W16W bulbs.
• License Plate lights and trunk light: 5 watts, wedge type, white. W5W (XLE has LED license plate lights)

What to pay attention to:

• Wattage (for two reasons)

Firstly, well, you want the LEDs to be at least as bright as your old bulbs. LEDs are way more efficient than halogens, so assuming the wattages are the same, LEDs will be way brighter. This is where the naming gets (even more) complicated. W5W, for example, stands for Wedge, 5 watts. But there are a lot of W5W LED bulbs out there that are rated at 1 watt; simply because a 5W LED will be too bright for makeup lights, for example.
Secondly, error codes. I can't remember if Toyotas have "burnt bulb" error warnings, but I know that the turn signals will flash quicker if the car thinks there is a burnt bulb. They do this by checking the current on the circuit. This means that if the LED turn signal bulb you install has a lower wattage than the stock one, it might flash quicker.

• Brightness

Take all brightness figures under listings with a grain of salt, and assume they will be 70-80% as bright as the seller claims them to be. Then compare them with incandescent bulbs from known brands. As LEDs turn on and off instantly, you want them to be brighter than halogens. (Especially for turn signals)
AliExpress listing descriptions might not be accurate, I suggest you read customer reviews and check out the photos.

What do we do then:
I already ordered all the bulbs I need (at least I think I did).

• W5W bulbs are very easy to find and are also very cheap. I got 10 for around $3 (CAD). I mainly bought them for license plate lights, I am not sure if I'll take the time to replace the side markers. Best scenario, the LEDs will be as bright as the default bulbs. Reason why: when it comes to car lighting, I think white looks better.
• W16W bulbs; also quite easy to find but make sure they are bright enough. The ones I got are rated at 1200 lumens per bulb, and reviews say they are definitely bright enough. Reason why: My parking spot is in an unlit garage, so I need more light.
• W21W bulbs for turn signals: This is the one I did the most research on. First of all, you should make sure that these bulbs are actually rated at 21 watts and not any lower. You don't want them to hyper flash, and I personally am not a huge fan of adding a resistor to blinker wiring. Reason why: I am a HUGE fan of LED turn signals, I love how they switch instantly.

I know that the front dome lights are LED, but it doesn't seem like the rear one is. I assume it's also W5W, but I am also not sure; as it wasn't stated in the user manual. Anyone can help me with that?

I obviously haven't received anything yet. AliExpress has decent customer service, so in case you don't receive them, they will refund you. If you do decide to order, I suggest you choose AliExpress Saver/Standard shipping -- I haven't had any issues with AliExpress shipping. Two of the items I ordered are shipped with Cainiao instead (I knew this when ordering), I'll update you on those as well.
My parents live somewhere in Europe where you can legally retrofit LED headlights to cars, and I got 2 sets of LED fog lights and a set of LED headlights for them from AliExpress. They all work great, that's where my confidence in AliExpress comes from.

I am not dropping any links as I haven't installed anything yet and therefore can't vouch for them. But they were the best sellers on AliExpress.

 

[PNWCCFAN]

WOW! You really seem to know your stuff. Good job! An aside and FYI: The Car Care Nut (the Toyota Master technician) got a new 2022 Camry and is replacing some of his LEDs. He recommends a company called VLEDS.com.

 

[toyotaisme]

I’m really confused my XLE has all LED lights inside. The rear license plate light is super bright too LED! Are you maybe referring f to the Le?

 

[mrplt]

I’m really confused my XLE has all LED lights inside. The rear license plate light is super bright too LED! Are you maybe referring f to the Le?

On the inside, I believe all Crosses have LED lights in front. I don't know about the rear seats or the trunk. My post was more about exterior lights, though.
And for the license plate lights, I just looked at the user manual -- it seemed like all trims had regular bulbs. I will edit my post.

EDIT:

So I assumed that if a light has "bulb type" in parentheses, XLE would have it as LED and the rest would have regular bulbs. And that others were regular bulbs for all trims.

 

[CrossSaint]

Here they are:

I tried LEDs on the side markers, but did not liked the look, so I left them with the OEM incandescent.

CrossSaint 🥐

 

[madmichael]

Hello, is this information referable for USA Toyota Corolla Cross? Thank you.

 

[CrossSaint]

Hello, is this information referable for USA Toyota Corolla Cross? Thank you.

My Cross is an USA 🇺🇸 model. My contributions are for USA models, unless specified otherwise.

 

[smickz]

How do you remove the cover to replace the license plate bulbs? Does each light cover pop off? Do I remove the whole assembly (like for the cargo light)? Do I have to remove the fascia piece that contains the backup camera and license place lights?

 

[smickz]

How do you remove the cover to replace the license plate bulbs? Does each light cover pop off? Do I remove the whole assembly (like for the cargo light)? Do I have to remove the fascia piece that contains the backup camera and license place lights?

 

[CrossSaint]

How do you remove the cover to replace the license plate bulbs? Does each light cover pop off? Do I remove the whole assembly (like for the cargo light)? Do I have to remove the fascia piece that contains the backup camera and license place lights?

I haven’t dealt with the license plate bulbs. I do not know what is the disassembly process to replace those bulbs.

 

[maybeblack]

I saw issues about not having enough tail lights on the L and LE.
Do you know if the tail lights on the tailgate is accessible our possibly replaceable?

 

[CrossSaint]

I saw issues about not having enough tail lights on the L and LE.
Do you know if the tail lights on the tailgate is accessible our possibly replaceable?

Oh, they should be replaceable with the XLE. But I believe the issue will not reside with replacing tail light, but with the wiring on the tail door. I don't know if they share the same wiring in order to be upgraded on the fly via PnP, or if they have dedicated wiring for the L & LE, and different in the XLE.

Same issue with trying to upgrade to the rear wiper setup; even if you buy the whole door, will there be a standby wiring and washer fluid tube? ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[Falconpunchjr]

Has anyone installed Fog lights on the L or LE yet?

 

[maybeblack]

Oh, they should be replaceable with the XLE. But I believe the issue will not reside with replacing tail light, but with the wiring on the tail door. I don't know if they share the same wiring in order to be upgraded on the fly via PnP, or if they have dedicated wiring for the L & LE, and different in the XLE.

Same issue with trying to upgrade to the rear wiper setup; even if you buy the whole door, will there be a standby wiring and washer fluid tube? ¯\(ツ)/¯

That makes sense! I can't believe how different the set ups are!

 

[maybeblack]

Here they are:

View attachment 262
View attachment 263
View attachment 261

I tried LEDs on the side markers, but did not liked the look, so I left them with the OEM incandescent.

CrossSaint 🥐

Forgive me I'm slow to understand. We're about to get our Cross soon (a week or two if we're lucky), but is the photo with amber bulb a DRL and you replaced it with a white LED DRL?

 

[CrossSaint]

Forgive me I'm slow to understand. We're about to get our Cross soon (a week or two if we're lucky), but is the photo with amber bulb a DRL and you replaced it with a white LED DRL?

Correct. I even shared a photo with the original bulb and LED replacement bulb on the palm of my hand.

 

[maybeblack]

Correct. I even shared a photo with the original bulb and LED replacement bulb on the palm of my hand.

I'm having a hard time finding a good brand and the correct bulb for the parking lights. I know i tried to google w5w but I found quite a bit of them. Which one did you go for?

 

[StevenCox93]

How do you remove the cover to replace the license plate bulbs? Does each light cover pop off? Do I remove the whole assembly (like for the cargo light)? Do I have to remove the fascia piece that contains the backup camera and license place lights?

I’ve done it. You remove the rear interior hatch cover (all clips) and you’ll have access to the back of the lights which you squeeze the tabs and push it out. Then you remove the clear cover to access the bulb.

 

[bmorris12s]

I found

On the inside, I believe all Crosses have LED lights in front. I don't know about the rear seats or the trunk. My post was more about exterior lights, though.
And for the license plate lights, I just looked at the user manual -- it seemed like all trims had regular bulbs. I will edit my post.

EDIT:

View attachment 259
So I assumed that if a light has "bulb type" in parentheses, XLE would have it as LED and the rest would have regular bulbs. And that others were regular bulbs for all trims.

I replaced all the w5w bulbs except the license plate bulbs with:

Amazon.com: SEALIGHT 194 LED Bulbs 6000K White, 168 2825 T10 W5W 3030 Bright LED Chips, Dome Light, Map Light, Door Light, Courtesy Light, License Plate Light, Pack of 10 : Automotive

Buy SEALIGHT 194 LED Bulbs 6000K White, 168 2825 T10 W5W 3030 Bright LED Chips, Dome Light, Map Light, Door Light, Courtesy Light, License Plate Light, Pack of 10: Lighting - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

and the backup lights with:

Amazon.com: NINGLE 912 921 LED Bulb Reverse Light, 921 Backup Reverse Light Bulbs White Extremely Bright 906 912 T15 W16W 579 LED 921 Bulb for Backup Reverse Cargo Light Canbus Error Free 6000K (Pack of 2) : Automotive

Buy NINGLE 912 921 LED Bulb Reverse Light, 921 Backup Reverse Light Bulbs White Extremely Bright 906 912 T15 W16W 579 LED 921 Bulb for Backup Reverse Cargo Light Canbus Error Free 6000K (Pack of 2): Back Up Lights - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Word of caution, the taillight assembly was a bear to remove.
‘I have an LE AWD.

 

[Jaspher]

Here they are:

View attachment 262
View attachment 263
View attachment 261

I tried LEDs on the side markers, but did not liked the look, so I left them with the OEM incandescent.

CrossSaint 🥐

It’s better to put amber led inside the amber lense. Same goes for red. Get red led for red lense.