1994 Toyota Camry: Brake Lights, but No Tail Lights

Fuse? Bad ground? Bulbs?

Brake lights should be on a different circuit.

Does the license plate lamp work?

Check your fuses first. It could be the fuse is slightly corroded and pulling and inserting it again may fix it.

This is a troubleshooting exercise. After checking the usual (lamps, fuses) chase the wiring through with a pocket mutlimeter until the fault is found. Is the Haynes Manual (it contains the wiring diagram) for the vehicle to hand?

Easier said than done on most, if not all cars. Usually the only wiring you can get to for the taillight is the couple inches between the bodywork and lamp housing. If your front running lamps are not lighting as well, the problem is probably a fuse or short. It is also possible that both of the low-luminance filaments in the bulb (if they are dual-brightness bulbs) are burned out. Have you tried simply replacing the light bulbs?

At one time if the tail lights were out the dash lights were out out also, indicate bad fuse or sometimes the tail light wires run through the brake safety switch located or attached to the brake pedal arm.

But what used to be often is no more

I had a simmilar problem with my celica gt which is probably not much different than yours. My problem originated when I installed a stereo on it. The wires that feed the quarter light which are the light that are not working on your car right now also feed the continous +12V on your stereo. When such wire is conected in the wrong way you experience the problem you are seem in your car. Things only get worst because you start to get problems with your alternator and eventually you will have to replace it. My best advice to you is to take your car to an experienced electromechanical tech to dignose the problem before it gets worst. If you are not sure how to troubleshoot it, don't try to learn doing it on your car.

all lights worked fine when used brakes ,blinkers,reverse.....running tail lights ,plate lights and dash lights were out on my 93 camry.whatever you do dont go to the dealership and pay out the ass for them to take your entire car apart looking at the entire wiring system.i installed a new after market stereo and for some reason blew a relay switch.went to my local car stereo store and they replaced the relay switch for $40 and everything works as it should.hope people see this reply before you go to the toyota dealerships and pay $95 an hour while a bunch of over paid clowns screw you over for hours "looking for faults in your wiring" and never find anything wrong

What about front parking lights? are they ok? they should be on the same circuit.

Check fuses, bulbs then bulb sockets for corrosion.

I second Anonymous' response. Especially about the bad ground. That will usually manifest itself in some strange behavior with the running lights and brake lights involving partial operation and then off when expected to be on depending on the brake light operation. Much easier to point out on the road than it is to explain in words.

The problem is that the old car should be taken to a competent auto mechanic and inspected for safety and to be assured it will pass your state's emission controls. Even the best engineers on this forum would do that. Most cars of that age are being removed from the road, except for those that are being rebuilt as antiques. I suggest you trade the car in for a newer model. Even Mexico will not accept a 1994 car to be sold in their nation any longer.

The light switch is possibly the problem, it would not be the first one that was bad.

Try looking at the bulb some are duel element and also sometimes condensate gets into the contact area and causes corrosion.

Something that I don't see mentioned is if the type of lights have been swapped out for the newer LED versions. We have done that on some of our fire apparatus and because of the low energy demand to make the LEDs work "normally", we had to install a standard incandescent bulb in the circuit to make the "pull" happen. Kinda goofy, but it works. Like some of the other guys have mentioned, ratty ground, lack of wire, I would also check for fuse problems, including any new "green stuff" in the wire connections beneath the frame, and behind the bulb holder system. On rare occasions, bad bulbs or wrong wattage. I would also check the sockets, as taillights are often "daisy chained". If they are mounted in plastic, there could be a compromise in either the ground or circuit feed. If the front lights are working, (park lights), so should the taillights. Butt connectors, if not properly sealed upon original installation, and have been constantly exposed to moisture can give you fits as well. I would take the kick panel and the plastic pieces that cover the wiring track beneath each door and dig out the fine dirt that seems to accumulate in that track, and physically look and tug on the wires as well, paying close attention to any butt connectors. I have seen these become corroded to the point that they would just fail, but out of sight, out of mind. If that dirt has been wet for a long time because of bad joints in the body work, this can cause wiring failure. I have seen this very problem on 3 of our surf rescue rigs where they were subjected to immersion in salt water of the ocean. Factory wiring just ain't gonna stand up to that kind of use conditions unless prepared properly. If you are in a part of the country where there is salt used on the highways, I wouldn't be surprised to find a wire separation, out of sight, out of mind. Good luck.

Do you have panel lights? Often the same fuse goes to the tail lights and the panel lights.

I tested my hazard lights one day and after I turned them off I realized I had no brake lights and one turn signal wasn't working.

A friend of mine who is a mechanic told me to use WD40 on the hazard light switch on the column and depress the switch several times. I did and the brake lights have worked fine since then. He said in older vehicles that they can become gunked up over the years causing the switch not to fully disengage.

I think nobody gave the correct solution to this problem.

If either brake light, or tail light works, which is on the same bulb, then it's not a wiring or fuse problem.

Earlier Camrys have what is called a "Lamp Failure Indicator Sensor". They come in different colours and product numbers. Yellow,gray, and white are some examples. It's located at the back of the car, attached to the wiring harness assembly.

Open the trunk, lift the coverings, on the drivers side. It removes fairly easy. It's basically a small plastic box, about 2 inches X 1 inch thick. Open the box carefully from the back, and take out the circuit. You may find some burn marks. If any wires are cut on the circuit, try attaching them, by soldering carefully together, or even attach a wire, taping them together, if only to confirm that this is indeed your problem. If done properly, your lights will work. If you want to replace this sensor, it's about $ 200 - $300 brand new, or about $10 used, if you can find one at the wreckers.

Okay I'm having this same problem with my toyota camry...I just recently took out my deck to put subs in. My brake lights work but no running lights. My head lights turn on and work and same with all the turn signals and hazards but my dash lights don't work at all. What do you think this could be?

You say you're having the same problem, but actually yours is a lot different. Both problems are at the front, i.e., no running lights or dash lights.

I don't think I can help with that, except the usual, you know, check all bulbs, fuses.

Also, the fact you made a change to your sound system might make a difference. I had a trailer hitch put on recently, and I just found out the guy used a wrong wire. This had led to burning a couple of light bulbs, as well as a fuse on my Camry.

hey amn thank a bunch , you were right it was the little yellow box after all. hey everybody listen to the man he know what he talking about !!!!!

Hooray! We had checked everything (we thought) This worked for us - Thank you!

my 1994 tail lights burn out all the time, the bulbs last about a week. Do you think that little box could be my problem as well?

Thank you rutledgephoto@comcast.net

you are the man, thanks. found two burned wires inside of sensor. not very good at soldering small wires but will give it a shot, again thank for your post. almost gave the toyota alot of money for the wrong part 500.00 to replace switch

Hi Sammy,

I have a similiar problem, brake lights are working but tail lights are not. I've checked fuses and put in new bulbs but still not working.

I can't seem to find the little sensor box you describe. My camry is an '88 model.

Running from the bulbs, along the wires is it far?

cheers

SS

I'm having a similar problem except I have the outer running lights in the rear, no centers, checked the bulbs and replaced them. Replaced the bulbs in the outter tial lights too, still have the far corner running lights and lp light.

My cruise controll is otu too...

fmc

i'm having a similar problem. i have an 89 camry, no brake lights but i do get running lights, replaced all bulbs and fuse.

That would be FUSES!

I had the same problem with my 89 camry, and i consulted an experienced DIY mechanic and simply told me that the problem was in the fuses.