I just replaced the light bulb for the light that is in front of the tail lights in the inside of the car. But now when I shut the hatch it stays on. How do I get it to turn off?!?

I don't know about Firebirds, but in Camaros theres a little slide switch on the back panel that manually turns the light on and off.

You can't see it in the photo; the switch faces towards the front of the car.

I'm always accidentally bumping the switch on or forgetting to turn the light off.

its also in the birds

Im sorry just got my firebird and im alitle new at this but what do you mean by accidentaly dumping the switch on, do you mean all of the switchs up front. Thanks for the info.

no, if you look at where the arrow is pointing in your car, there is a switch that slides left to right.

One way it to turn the light off, the other is to turn it on.

Its very easy to hit it accidentally. Flick the switch, and the light will go off.

Oh thanks, I dont rember seeing that switch but tomorrow I will go look for it.

I have an '89 Camaro w/ power hatch pulldown, and I do not have that switch... Instead the light is controlled by a switch that is integrated into the pulldown latch.

Perhaps GM changed the design sometime after '87. If the OP deosn't have the separate switch, then he needs to remove the panel and check the switch at the pull down.

I wish GM had done this earlier. It would have saved me a couple of dead batteries.

Yea I don't have the external switch. Sorry for asking so many questions but on the later model ones where exactly are the switchs. My whole pull down hatch thing is busted so my rear hatch dosen't really lock. I'll post a picture tomorrow of it. But if any one knows where I can get a whole new pull down system that is cheap and strong please tell me. I mean I need it all the guides are busted and when I took the plastic off clear plastic fell all over the place.

If I remember correctly, one switch is located in the area where the hatch striker locks into the latch. It is a little black plastic piece that is pushed on by the striker when it locks in. It should be pretty obvious. Now, the bad thing is, I'm not sure if this switch has any bearing on the status of the light. This thread has some diagrams, but as you can see the clear ones are for '92 which I think is a little different than '89... So anyway, I guess all I can tell you, short of get a new pulldown unit , is just to mess with that switch and see if that gets you anywhere. Hopefully some one else may be able to chime in and paint a better picture of what exactly controls the light...

Top-Down Solutions has a good selection of pulldown repair parts as well as new (reman) units. The complete remans are expensive, but there are some repair options that may fit the bill. Also, I believe the proprietor of that site is lonsal, who is a member on here (actually a moderator).