Tail and license plate lights went out -- brake lights work

edit:

first, we need a distinction.

were the bulbs dark as in NOT LIT, or dark as in DIMLY LIT?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VAPrius04 @ May 25 2006, 07:24 AM) [snapback]260831[/snapback]</div>

I could understand one light bulb connection being a little loose, but for all of your back lights to be out, and all of them "cured" by banging on/near them .... the dealer replacing the bulbs themselves doesn't sound right to me. I agree they should have investigated further. If you don't mind, could you give us the name of the dealer? I'm in northern VA as well.

And the logical follow-up question ... are the lights working properly now?

 

Replacing the bulbs is the logical first step in this case. You could have gone over a bump and jarred the filiments within the bulbs, or they could have been corroding and making poor contact. Keep an eye on 'em, but don't fret. I bet you it's fixed.

 

<deleted post that wasn't very relavent once I reread the original>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VAPrius04 @ May 25 2006, 03:27 PM) [snapback]261005[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. I haven't had any dealings with Stafford Toyota - I'm in Woodbridge, so both Lustine and Miller are closer to me.

Did they find anything yesterday? What you say sounds logical to me - the left and right tail lights and the license plate lights probably all come together at some point.

 

the license plate lights and tail lights wiring don't converge via a connector, it's internal to a wiring harness. so we can rule out that part. the only connector is at the light assembly itself. if it were a short, it would have blown a fuse and not the bulbs. and if there were something wrong with the wiring harness, there would be a lot more going out than just the license plate lights and tail lights. there are a ton of things on that circuit.

99% of the time a problem is caused by the simplest possible thing. that would be the bulbs in this case. the way techs work is to replace the most logical thing first, then if that doesn't work they go deeper.

let me explain why this is how they do it. you already said you know that light bulbs aren't covered by warranty. to yank out al WHOLE LOT of the interior of the car, inspect all relevant connections, test them, put everything back together would take a full day to do thoroughly. now if there's nothing wrong with any of this, not only are you paying for 8 hours of labor or more, but you're getting a bill for the rental car they give you- all because it's not covered by warranty. this would make for a whole lot of unhappy customers.

i hope this helps you understand how the repair process works a little better, and gives you a little more confidence in your car.

 

And why we STILL don't have LEDs in all the signal positions is beyond me. We wouldn't be having this discussion. The car would cost about $20 more to build, but would be cheaper in the long-run as none of these bulbs would need to be replaced - and you can't put a price on the increased safety aspect.

 

This just happened to me a few days ago. All three lights out. Open the hatch and shut it -- left tail light came on. Again -- the plate light came on. Again -- the right tail light came on.

Next time I checked, it happened again. I've not called the dealer yet but will advise.

I can't see how a bulb replacement could fix -- unless they're like 1960's Christmas lights where if one bulb goes out, the entire string goes black.

 

This just happened to me too. Wife was in car and I opened hatch and upon close saw 1 light out. Then noticed 1 license plate light out. Later I was looking at the lights and slammed the door down hard and the light came back on. I took it out to look at it and could see that the bulb was dark on top (usually means light burnt out). Put bulb back and it didn't work. I replaced th bulb and it immediately went on.

Not sure why slamming it made it go on for a bit, but the bulb did appear to be bad and works fine after bulb replacement. The W5W bulb 2 pack was under $2 at WalMart.

 

70 Thousand trouble free miles and a little quirk with the tailights shakes your confidence in your car !?!!!, . Please don't ever buy a domestic car.

 

I had both tail lights out at night. All I had to do was bang each tail light and they would light up. This is what American cars do, not a Toyota. Fortunately, this is the only problem I have had over the 130k miles on this Prius.

 

Sounds like I have a similar issue.
06 with 68k miles. Driver at night told me my tail/rear lights are not on but my headlights were. I pulled over and checked and he was correct. How do they ALL go out at the same time?
I have the platinum warranty, but assume this wont be covered. How much is this going to cost me or is it something I should do myself? I will call my toyota dealership tomorrow

any help please? thanks

 

I've had this happen to me a couple of times. In each case, the bulb holder is loose in its socket inside the hatch. All I have had to do is tighten the connection and the lights come back on.

It is annoying as I usually notice it when it's raining cats and dogs.

 

I have the same problem on my left tail light - going to check this fix before I bring the car to the dealer for an appt tomorrow.

The issue seems fairly common, at least from this thread.