Fits: 2023-2026 Honda Accord 11th generation sedan — LX; EX (2024) / SE (2025-2026, the same car, Honda just renamed it); Sport Hybrid; EX-L Hybrid; Sport-L Hybrid; Touring Hybrid.
These steps cover all three builds — Smoked White, Smoked Red and RGB. Removal and fitting are identical; the RGB build has an extra app setup section at the end.
Read This First
The set includes the outer tail lamps and the integrated trunk lid light bar, so you are working on the quarter panels and the trunk lid.
The rearview camera is not supplied. It comes off the factory center light bar and goes into the new one. If you skip that transfer you lose the rear camera — see Step 5 and Step 8.
You will also remove trunk trim, PE foam and the license-plate-opening fasteners to get there.
Before You Start
- Park on level ground, switch off, and disconnect the negative battery terminal while handling wiring.
- Use masking tape around the painted trunk lid and quarter-panel edges.
- Check whether your car needs the supplied low-trim harness adapter for the cornering lamps and the through-light before you close anything up.
- Do not put dielectric or weather-sealing grease on connectors or sockets.
- Leave the trunk-lid liner off until every function has passed testing.
Required Tools
- Ratchet with 10 mm and 8 mm sockets
- Trim removal tool or pry tool
- Zip ties
- Masking tape and clean microfiber towels
- A helper for brake light and turn signal testing
Part 1: Remove the Trunk-Lid Light Bar
Step 1: Remove the Trunk-Lid Liner
Use a trim tool to release the plastic clips from the inner trunk-lid liner, then take the liner off to reach the wiring and fasteners underneath.
Step 2: Disconnect
Disconnect the rearview-camera connector and the main tail light connector, then release the wiring-harness retainers from the trunk lid.
Step 3: Remove the Mounting Hardware
Use an 8 mm or 10 mm socket to remove all the nuts and screws holding the full-width center light bar.
Keep a firm hold on the fasteners in the recessed openings. If one drops it falls into the trunk-lid cavity, and getting it back out is its own job.
Step 4: Release the Light Bar
Apply even outward pressure along the whole length to release its clips from the mounting slots, then take the assembly off the trunk lid.
Step 5: Remove the Rearview Camera — Do Not Skip This
Press the retaining tabs on both sides of the camera and remove it from the back of the factory light bar. Set it aside carefully — it goes into the new assembly in Step 8.
Part 2: Remove the Outer Lamps
Step 6: Access Covers and Screws
Carefully pry off the small plastic access cover beside each outer lamp and remove the two exposed mounting screws.
Step 7: Unplug and Remove
Disconnect the connector from each outer lamp, release the retaining clips, and pull both assemblies away from the car.
Part 3: Install the New Tail Lights
Step 8: Fit the Camera Into the New Light Bar
Install the factory rearview camera into the replacement center assembly first, then connect each new connector to its matching factory connector — including the brake-light connectors and the center connection cable.
Step 9: Route the Outer Lamp Wiring
Run the outer tail light wiring through the openings on both sides of the trunk lid, then position the center and outer assemblies in their factory locations and secure them with the hardware you removed.
Step 10: Test Before the Liner Goes Back
- Running and parking lights on both sides.
- Brake lights, with a helper on the pedal.
- Left and right turn signals, hazards and the sequential sweep.
- Reverse lights, with the car safely in reverse and the parking brake on.
- The full-width light bar.
- Startup animation, and RGB app control if you have that build.
- Confirm the rear camera image works now that the camera has been transferred and reconnected.
- Open and close the trunk slowly and confirm the routed connecting wire does not stretch, pinch or rub on the hinge or rocker arm.
Step 11: Reassemble
Once everything passes, refit the PE foam, the trunk clips, the license-plate-opening trim and the trunk-lid panels.
The Smoked White and Smoked Red builds are now fully installed. The next section applies only to the RGB build.
RGB: Star Light Running App Setup
1. Remote control pairing. The remote comes pre-paired with the lamps and switches to Red Light Driving Mode (static red, no flowing animation) with one press. If the remote does not work, press the brake pedal and hold the remote button for 10 seconds to pair it again.
2. Animation control. The app controls the running-light animations. The startup animation is preset and cannot be changed.
3. Download the app. Search for "Star Light Running" in the App Store or Google Play, or scan the QR code on the controller box.
4. Bluetooth connection. Open the app, tap Add Device (Figure 2), open the interface (Figure 3), and select the nearby device.
5. Adjusting modes.
- Dynamic mode: the number in the center of the blue box shows the current mode. Tap + or - to switch effects, or AUTO to cycle through all of them.
- Static color: drag the color wheel in the green box, or tap a preset color. This stops any running animation.
- Brightness: drag the slider in the first row of the red box.
- Speed: drag the slider in the last row of the red box.
Tip: if you used the older "Light Running" app and have trouble connecting, use "Star Light Running", the upgraded version.
Road use. Color modes are for show and display use where permitted. Confirm that the standard road-light functions work normally before using any color mode.
Common Issues and Solutions
The rear camera does not work. Recheck the camera transfer from Step 5, its connector lock, and the left-side connector. This is the number one thing to get wrong on this car.
The light bar does not sit flush. Recheck the white clips, and hold the assembly upward while you tighten the screws.
One side does not light. Check whether your car needs the low-trim harness adapter rather than the standard harness connection.
A wire rubs when the trunk moves. Re-route the connecting wire between the flat and curved lights and zip-tie it along the correct path.
App cannot connect. Turn on Bluetooth and Location Services on your phone (Android needs Location for Bluetooth scanning). The car's parking lights must be on to power the Bluetooth module.
Condensation inside the tail light. Temperature differences can cause light condensation, which is normal. Once the light has been on for a while and the internal temperature stabilizes, the moisture clears on its own. It does not affect brightness, performance, or lifespan.
