tail lights not working?

[jereng]

I have a 99 tacoma, the tail lights are not working. However, the brake and signal lights work properly. Is this a fuse problem or what? How do I repair the tail lights?

[SEAN_at_TLT]

Open the fuse box and look at the sticker on the inside of it or the diagram on top of it. That will tell you which fuse is for what electrical part. Then using the little tweezers that are inside the fuse box lid, pull the appropriate fuse and check if it's bad. A bad fuse will have the filament broken (like a bad light bulb) Usually there are some extra fuses on the lid but if not you can get them at any auto store. Be sure to use the exact same amperage fuse (5,10,15,30 etc), otherwise you could cause a fire.

If all the fuses are good, check the actual bulb filaments. Taillight bulbs are typically dual filament, meaning they are basically two-bulbs-in-one. Remove the taillights and access the bulbs, shake the bulb and listen for a metallic jingling or look through the glass and try to verify that the metal wire is intact inside. If the bulbs are bad, take them to the auto parts store and get the replacement with the same #. They usually only run a few bucks.

One last option is that the wiring harness at the tail light is bad, I had this happen on my '96 4Runner and my Toyota specialist buddy tightened the connection (not exactly sure how though).