2007 Tail light removal instructions

william wetzelberger · Nov 15, 2012

msoengineer said: ↑

Tail light removal instructions w/ pics

Long story short the top layer lens cracked on my left tail light. You can't replace just the lens it's all one complete assembly as others have mentioned in other posts.

I decided to take a few pictures to help out others.

Tools you will need-
1-10mm 2" long socket and wrench plus 3" extension
2- Smaller width flat blade screw driver.
3- Strong fingers
4-Gentle Touch

Steps to reach tail light assembly (mine was the driver side tail light).
1-Fold Down the rear seats
2-Remove the privacy trunk blind bar
3-Remove three seperate 10mm bolts as shown in pictures:

Pull the silver toggle out once you pull the bolt

Inside that hole is a super long bolt-Use the wrench extension here

4-Pull the trim away from the car to expose the hidden retention clips and pull out the clips:

5- Pull the plastic trim apart:
5a- Start in the back

5b- Pull down and out in the middle:

5c- Pull back, down and out at this area. I grabbed where the shade slides into- this will require extra force:

6-Remove the trunk light wiring clip:

7-Un-clip the tail light harness using a small width flat head:

8- now that everything has been separated from the wall you can pull/push the carpeting away from the tail light assembly and remove the two bolts for the tail light using the 2" long 10mm socket:

Bottom Bolt

Top Bolt

Tada- now just push the assembly out from the inside and put the the new one in place.

Follow the steps in reverse to put it all back together.

Remember to be gentle yet firm when you pull all this stuff apart. I've pulled off trim in the past and it takes some finesse and skill to not break stuff.

This should be a 15 minute job to do .
It cost me $165.00 to get a replacement assembly from my buddies auto body shop.

I used my cell phone to take these pictures so I apologize if they may be poor quality

Feel free to PM me with any questions/issues.

Tom
Click to expand...

Tom, thanks. I used your instructions to replace my tail light......very helpful thanks

priuschatter2 · Jan 19, 2013

It's not so clear from your photos or instructions: the two nuts (not bolts) to be removed are located between the bulb cluster and the hatch door. Also attached to the bolts are white plastic ties that hold a black cable (perhaps someone had already been in your car and pulled them off?). Pull off the plastic ties with a pliers. If you don't have a 2"-deep socket for the nuts, a wrench will work fine. On the outside of the car, a thump on the inner side of the lens with the heel of your palm will set it free.

The taillight can be removed WITHOUT removing the inside wall of the trunk, though it's a little harder. To do so, remove the bulb access cover. At the inside edge of the hole (as you face it, left side for a drivers taillight, right side for a passengers taillight) there will be a black cable. Follow it up to find the top bolt - it will be 2" above the hole. Follow the cable down to find the lower bolt - it will be 1" below the hole. To pull off the wire ties, slide a pliers over the bolt shaft behind the wire tie and pull towards you. Use a 10 mm crescent wrench to get the nuts started. If you push in on the lens, you might even be able to unload the nuts enough that you can untighten just with fingers.

JohnPV · Jun 19, 2013

I just got a LH tail light housing off Ebay for $65 shipped , factory packed Toyota box . Had to come here to figure out to put it on , that's for tomorrow.

mff · Jul 8, 2013

My LED Stop light's are dim- removed the unit & found a "PCB" under the seal- do you know where I can get one of these circuit boards?
Mike

veepy · Mar 3, 2014

Does the above work differently for the 2012 models?. I seem to have the taillight assembly get stuck at the bottom with a tab that is attached at the bottom to the bumper preventing me from freeing it. Very frustrating.

veepy · Mar 5, 2014

veepy said: ↑

Does the above work differently for the 2012 models?. I seem to have the taillight assembly get stuck at the bottom with a tab that is attached at the bottom to the bumper preventing me from freeing it. Very frustrating.
Click to expand...

Just follow this and this important tip for removing the taillight
Part II: Installation and Initial Review of Valenti JDM full LED tail lamps from TWP | PriusChat

Part II: Installation and Initial Review of Valenti JDM full LED tail lamps from TWP | PriusChat

BBBruce · Aug 22, 2015

msoengineer said: ↑

Tail light removal instructions w/ pics

Thank you so much for your great instructions and the pictures that accompanied them.
Here are a few notes to add to them:
I am replacing a right-side assembly and, after - mostly - removing the trim I decided it might be possible to remove the assembly without removing the trim. The reason for wanting to omit the trim removal is that I also needed to remove the aux battery cover, which necessitates the removal of the luggage storage box (an engineering flaw in my (technician) opinion) which, in turn, necessitates the removal of the storage box cover. I also needed to remove the trim panel at the bottom of the rear compartment which abuts the rubber door seal, which just pops off. For the left side you needed to disconnect the compartment light, which isn't necessary for the right side since there isn't one, but you do need to be aware that the battery is right below where you are working. I recommend placing a piece of cardboard, heavy plastic, or rubber over the battery to prevent the possibility of arcing if you happen to drop any of your tools.
Anyway, as I said, it's possible to get the nuts off of the posts without removing the trim, but there is a lot less room to work and, should you drop a tool, it's most likely going to wind up on or next to the battery (just something to keep in mind if you decide on that route).

Something you didn't mention was that the plastic wire harness brackets which are also mounted on the light assembly studs need to be removed before attempting to remove the nuts. For some reason they go on a lot easier than they come off.

You don't need to use a screwdriver to disconnect the harness connector if you pull the entire connector assembly straight out of it's holding bracket (just beneath the connector in your picture below). Then you will just need to press the release (shown on the left of the connector in the pic) and pull the input part of the connector out of the assembly part of the connector.

One last thing that had me scratching my head for a while is, what's that pink nub in the background of your picture below?
What I figured out is that it, along with the black one that's barely visible at the bottom of the pic, are housings for two plastic guides that are part of the light assembly. When I initially tried to remove the assembly it seemed to still be fastened to something on the outboard side so, in the end, I learned the the assembly needs to be removed in a fairly straight angle to avoid binding the guides and making it more difficult to remove the assembly.

You said, "It cost me $165.00 to get a replacement assembly from my buddies auto body shop," but, since your initial post was several years ago, I assume the price has gone way down since I found several on Amazon for less than $100 (most even have free shipping).
I hope this helps, or at least, doesn't cause confusion.

BBBruce
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2007 Tail light removal instructions

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