trunk lid brake/tail lights not working

[murphymp]

hi,
I've got a 94 le sedan. My taillight out warning light came on a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was a false alarm, but then I realized the brake/tail lights in the trunk lid aren't working. Took out the bulbs and filaments are fine. I removed the taillight failure sensor and cleaned the contacts before reinstalling. I noticed the TFS was swinging from its wiring harness as it had become disconnected from its mounting location. The backup lights are working fine. Not sure where to go from here?

[YohL]

check fuses?

[dave1811]

Would just about bet it is a broken wire in the wiring harness on the trunk lip near the driver's side. Check the wire loom and look for a broken wire after you untape the wire, undue the loom. Common problem on these Camrys on the Gen 3-4 and there have been many posts on it. It is a cheap fix, just splice in a little extra and have a little slack. Hope this helps.

Dave

[murphymp]

Yep, Dave 1811 nailed it. I have three broken wires in the bundle. Went to Advance Auto and bought some 16 and 18 gauge wire splices. I had to crawl into the trunk and lay on my back to get a good view and to do the repairs. It was to awkward to do it standing up bent over the side of the car!

I didn't need to add any wire cause there was plenty of slack. Not sure how they broke, I guess it's because the car is 18 years old. I just stripped the ends and crimped on the splices and taped the whole thing back up. It works like a champ and I only spent $7!

[dave1811]

Yeah, I suspect they just get normal wear and tear by opening the trunk and probably get brittle with age/heat. Glad I could help and it glad it was a cheap fix. I have 2 99's and am getting real good at replacing door handles, etc, another common problem. Replaced my thermostat in one of mine on Saturday due to it not wanting to heat, it was stuck in an open position. Put a factory Toyota thermostat in it and now it runs right below half, even after running in the heat of around 95 with the AC on for around 20 minutes. I like that I can work on these and other members like you make Toyota Nation a great reference site!

Take care,

Dave