Taillights and dash lights keep going out after multiple fuse replacements

MOSHMOEEXOXO

MEMBER
1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER
476,000 MILES

Hi there. A few months ago, my friend installed an aftermarket stereo into my car after my original radio got wet and eventually stopped working. A couple months after the install my parking gauge letters that light up at night went out and now as of recently by 10a TAIL fuse keeps blowing out which causes my dash lights and taillights to go completely black which is especially dangerous at night and when I put in a new fuse it lasts maybe an hour or two max. How do I fix this? I don’t know the first thing about what to look for in wires and how to fix wiring in a car!

1 Reply

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
42,904 POSTS

Do you have a trailer hitch on this vehicle? If so, the trailer wiring sounds like it is connecting to ground which pops the fuse. I would go back to where the trailer wiring is and with a good fuse move the wiring around to see if the fuse pops. If you have no trailer wiring remove the rear lights to see if any of the bulb sockets have melted. Here is a taillight wiring diagrams so you can see how the system works. Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

Images (Click to make bigger)