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2007 Touring License Plate Light Replacement

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by noelty, Jun 12, 2014.

  1. noelty

    noelty Member

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    The other day I had noticed one of my license plate lights was toast and needed to be replaced. I searched the web and Prius chat and found various "how to" posts and videos. None of them were very clear to me. So I decided to take pictures and hope this helps someone down the road...

    First off, some tools that came in handy. A flathead screw driver used to pry...I actually did not really need this, but if the blue clips do not come out with the large plastic piece you may have to pry them out. My Leatherman came in handy, specifically the pliers to remove the little bulbs from the plastic housing. A flashlight...not totally necessary, but it did come in handy for me. WD40...this really came in handy when removing the plastic light housings!
    [​IMG]

    This is the plastic housing that needs to be removed from the rear hatch. A good pull from either the right or left rear of the housing will get the ball rolling. Don't gentle, give it a good yank and it will remove rather easily.
    [​IMG]

    Once removed this is what you will find on the rear lid of your Prius. The light on the right I had removed the plug. The left one is still plugged in.
    [​IMG]

    Here is one of the lights plugged in...
    [​IMG]

    Simply unplug the light by gently pulling...it will remove very easily...
    [​IMG]

    One it is unplugged you will face the hardest part of this little task, removing the bulb housing. I had read a few articles and watched a video...both said turn the housing counter clockwise. Not true. Turn the housing clock wise. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to move the housing counter clockwise...nope. I had sprayed some WD40 first. When I finally decided to try clockwise it was still a bit stuck but it was a short turn that did it and voila!

    I used the pliers on my Leatherman to pop the bad bulbs out...
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Popped the new bulbs in...
    [​IMG]

    Checked to make sure everything worked. One did not. I realized a bent a connection in the bulb housing and used a toothpick to straighten it. Got both bulb to work...

    Old on the left, new on the right...
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    New bulbs...
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    This should take 15 minutes as long as you don't mess around trying to turn the bulb housings counter clockwise. I hope this helps someone down the rode :)
     
    #1 noelty, Jun 12, 2014
    Patrick Wong and nh7o like this.
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Your cover is missing 6 of the blueish tabs, I hope you put them back before putting it back onto the hatch.
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 12, 2014
  3. noelty

    noelty Member

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    I should have mentioned the Leatherman and flathead screwdriver were used to remove those from the back of the hatch and put on the cover before putting it back.
     
    #3 noelty, Jun 14, 2014
  4. Vinnie_febs

    Vinnie_febs Junior Member

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    Ok, I know this thread it's a bit old but...... I just want to point out, to all those looking into replacing the bulb to be VERY careful. You were very certain and instructed specifically to turn clockwise and because of it I broke one of my connectors. I'm not saying that yours was not like this, or maybe there is some confusion as to the direction of counter and clockwise but it was counter clockwise (to the left) for me. I just want to make sure others are careful and please try both way carefully, and not just go into beast mode towards one direction based on instructions. For now I just putty it with JB weld since it will hold pretty good and it is easier to chip off once I decide to buy a replacement.
     
    #4 Vinnie_febs, Apr 14, 2015
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2015
  5. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Also, those LED bulbs only go in 1 way. You have a 50% chance of getting it right on the first try.

    So, if you do this, make sure you test the light before you reassemble everything. Don't ask me how I know this.
     
    #5 Yakoma, Apr 14, 2015
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The right-side (passenger side) license plate bulb on my 2004 needed to be changed. The wiring harness connector has a little lever that needs to be depressed to release.

    I was not able to remove the bulb socket while it was installed in the hatch. I ended up removing the entire bulb housing from the hatch by first removing the hatch trim garnish. Then the housing could be removed by depressing the two plastic latches on either side.

    Once the housing was removed, I used pliers to rotate the bulb socket counter-clockwise. I don't know why this differs from your car. The 2004 owner's manual advises it is necessary to rotate clockwise to release the socket.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Dec 5, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2015
  7. AceDeuceCoupe

    AceDeuceCoupe Junior Member

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    Old thread, but all the PICS links do not show for me....is there another thread or place to see them?
     
    #7 AceDeuceCoupe, May 20, 2018
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    With the last site update a lot of pics got the heave-ho. I think we would need @noelty to come back and repost them.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, May 20, 2018
  9. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I found this on YouTube. Once you get the plastic cover off you are home free. It is pretty tough so just start pulling on it. I actually bought the little plastic clips before I removed mine on my 2008 but didn't need them.



    I installed LED bulbs hoping to never do it again.
     
    #9 padroo, May 20, 2018
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