Short in Tail Light Causing Jerking

[GarrettRW 0]

Hello!

I own a Nissan Versa, 2012, SV model. 175,000 miles. 

Heres my issue: when I am driving, it randomly jerks. It feels like it shifts fine, no grinding. There is no specific speed that it does so, it is random.  Put cleaner in it, believing it was bad gas. Still it jerked.

First mechanic checked the computer. Engine looked fine. He made the engine misfire to ensure the computer read it, it did. It doesn’t seem to be the engine - computer did not read an issue with it. He assumed it was the transmission. So my wife and I thought our car was totaled. 

Heres where it gets a little weird. As a last ditch effort, I took it to the Nissan dealership for a diagnostic test. They checked the engine and transmission. They said they both look fine. The reason for the jerking? The tail lights. 

The car had been in a small accident and the tail lights both had cracks in them, causing moisture to build up in the tail light. This, they said, was causing a short and it was setting off a chain reaction which made the car jerk. They said that if the tail lights were replaced, the issue would go away.

And finally, here’s my problem: we replaced the tail lights. We lucked out and found the exact match, basically unused at a junkyard down the road. They work perfectly. We cleaned the connectors that attach to the tail lights with electrical spray cleaner. Everything is dry and clean - by the looks of it. Everything looks good. No evidence of burned cables. But, you guessed it, it still jerks. Just as bad if not worse. 

If the transmission looks good, the engine looks good, and the tail lights were replaced, what could it be? I would greatly appreciate any of your insights and thank you so much for your time!

Garrett