2007 Landcruiser Tail Lights - Question (1 Viewer)

[FairZ33]

Quick question for all of you:

2007 LC100... are the upper red section of the inner taillights supposed to illuminate in any condition? I tried everything I could think of and they seem to do nothing. If they are supposed to light up, when? And how should I begin to troubleshoot them? Or are they something you just have to replace?

 

[Manhattan]

Well... now, I'm invested in this thread. I just checked my '06 (same taillights) and, with the headlights and taillights on - nope. Tried the hazards - nope. Brake lights - nope. What are the odds, our 100s malfunctioning the same way? 1 in a 100? Wait... 2 in a 100?

With headlights on:

Also, why would Toyota engineers use only the small corner light for the brake lights?

 

[FairZ33]

Well... now, I'm invested in this thread. I just checked my '06 (same taillights) and, with the headlights and taillights on - nope. Tried the hazards - nope. Brake lights - nope. What are the odds, our 100s malfunctioning the same way? 1 in a 100? Wait... 2 in a 100?

Also, why would Toyota engineers use only the small corner light for the brake lights?

The brake lights only being in the small corner is what got me thinking. The other night, I let my wife drive the cruiser home while I followed in another car. I thought it was odd how little of the taillight was in use. The next morning I looked at it up close in the daylight and that led me to here. I'm glad that I'm not the only one seeing this behavior and so maybe it is factory. Or we have bad luck and its time for new taillights.

The only thing I didn't try was reverse, so I just did it now while I'm out here in the garage and still nothing. Hopefully someone else can tell us whether or not we owe more money to partsouq/toyotapartsdeal. Fingers crossed we don't!

 

[Manhattan]

It's just that inside / upper section that seems "dead." The outside / upper is the hazards... exclusively

 

[FairZ33]

It's just that inside / upper section that seems "dead." The outside / upper is the hazards... exclusively

Yes, mine behave the same. And that inside / upper section appears to have LEDs in there like the two bottom sections, which is why I'm even more confused.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Post in thread 'Anatomy of a 100 series headlight'

Sunday at 1:20 PM

That’s the “city light,” or position indicator. Illuminates on the first switch detent, along with the corner/turn markers.

In some markets (JDM, Euro, Middle East) this was a regulatory requirement — vehicles had to show white forward-facing “position lamps” in the headlight housing itself, separate from amber corner/turn markers. On U.S. trucks it still lights up, but is redundant.

It just barely illuminates, not designed to cast light forward.

Another quirk: you’ll notice at some point that the upper section of the tailgate-mounted taillights have no bulbs .

• Super77

• 

 

[FairZ33]

Post in thread 'Anatomy of a 100 series headlight'

Sunday at 1:20 PM

That’s the “city light,” or position indicator. Illuminates on the first switch detent, along with the corner/turn markers.

In some markets (JDM, Euro, Middle East) this was a regulatory requirement — vehicles had to show white forward-facing “position lamps” in the headlight housing itself, separate from amber corner/turn markers. On U.S. trucks it still lights up, but is redundant.

It just barely illuminates, not designed to cast light forward.

Another quirk: you’ll notice at some point that the upper section of the tailgate-mounted taillights have no bulbs .

• Super77

• 

Thanks for the info. Although, the car Super77 is referring to in that thread is an older model that wouldn't have the same LED taillights that the 06-07 LC's have. However, that doesn't mean that the upper section of the tailgate-mounted LED taillights have bulbs. It may very well be the way it was designed.

 

[Super77]

I did a little dive into this since I just had to service my taillight and discovered this quirk. I’m led to believe that the “wraparound” onto the tailgate was done for aesthetic reasons, but that since the tailgate tapers near the top, there was not enough room for a reflector housing at the top of the taillight assembly, so Uncle T just made it a dummy.

I imagine it was never updated for LEDs (which are lower profile) in later models because the tailgate lights legally must be redundant: imagine driving with the tailgate down. In the US, any minimal required lighting must be in a fixed position.

 

[FairZ33]

I did a little dive into this since I just had to service my taillight and discovered this quirk. I’m led to believe that the “wraparound” onto the tailgate was done for aesthetic reasons, but that since the tailgate tapers near the top, there was not enough room for a reflector housing at the top of the taillight assembly, so Uncle T just made it a dummy.

I imagine it was never updated for LEDs (which are lower profile) in later models because the tailgate lights legally must be redundant: imagine driving with the tailgate down. In the US, any minimal required lighting must be in a fixed position.

I suspect you're correct. Maybe some other 06/07 owners can chime in to confirm that their taillights operate the same way as described by Manhattan and I.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Pretty easy way to find out yourself and pop the cover off the inside of the tailgate.

 

[Vthelexus]

In some European cars (possibly JDM too) tail lights illuminate more or brighter during emergency breaking. Could it be that the upper part in our trucks does exactly that?

 

[Super77]

In some European cars (possibly JDM too) tail lights illuminate more or brighter during emergency breaking. Could it be that the upper part in our trucks does exactly that?

The upper part does not illuminate at all. Also remember that models with ambulance doors or factory rear-mounted spare tires don’t have the tailgate lamps.

So, the entirety of required rear lighting is handled by the corner lamps.

 

[Zuberg]

Can confirm the tailgate upper sections do not have LEDs in 06/07. Just for aesthetics. Definitely odd but both mine are the same.