Reverse/Turn Signal lights stopped working (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jul 2, 2003
Threads
194
Messages
2,422
Location
Trumansburg, New York
Having a weird issue with the rear lights on a 2006 GX470 while installing a rear camera. Everything seemed fine as I was figuring out the wiring connectors in PS rear quarter. This area is really tight due to rear AC.

Anyway, I now have no reverse lights or turn signals. Everything else seems to work - rear brakes, rear wiper, running lights, etc.

Just no reverse lights or no turn signals either up front or rear. Hazards work.

Checked all fuses. Checked connectors a dozen times. I have 12V at connector.

Any ideas?
Thanks
 
Pretty bizarre...all I can say is the lighting in the GX isn't just a simple positive trigger. For example, I wired my light bar relay to my high beams. I determined which wire went hot when the high beams were ON and used that to trigger a relay. However, I soon learned that it wasn't as simple as that. Here's how the wiring on the high beam connector actually behaves:

KEY REMOVED: OFF/OFF
IGNITION ON + LIGHTS AUTO: HOT/HOT
IGNITION ON + LIGHTS ON + HIGH BEAMS ON: HOT/GROUND
IGNITION ON + LIGHTS OFF: GROUND/GROUND

In other words, when I first wired the relay positive trigger off the hot wire when the brights were on, I was in a lit garage so I was turning the lights on manually. When I switched back to AUTO, even with the high beams off my light bar came back on. I then ran a hot wire from the battery to the relay trigger and ran the negative trigger to the ground side of the high beam, and now my light bar came on with the lights off. I had to trigger the relay using BOTH wires from the high beam socket. Lexus clearly uses some wiring voodoo, perhaps some bulb monitoring or what have you. My suggestion...the REVERSE lights are located within the rear door, I'd go into the rear door and get BOTH hot and ground for your camera from the reverse bulb socket itself, it's the only way to ensure you get exactly what you're after when you want it to come on.
 
zootech is right about the wiring. have you ever removed the tail lights to replace a bulb? i noticed that the wiring isn't like my older cars where the wires are directly connected to each bulb base plug. lexus wired it in series which makes for a less cluttered cleaner wiring mess. power and ground wires are shared through all the bulbs. it was interesting. however, you really didn't explain how you wired your camera as well? not sure if this is your problem though.

i just installed mine. i tapped my power wire directly to the reverse light feed. i removed the back panel and ran my wires through the grommet going back into the trunk. it was a pain but everything works.

i would suggest removing all of your wiring and go back to stock. see if everything works again?
 
Thanks for the insights. I’m heading out to try again after work.
I did not change anything with regards to wiring. I was still at the early stage of just trying to identify which wire in rear PS quarter connector was reverse. And yes, I regret now not just tapping both right at the socket. Still may go that route. Mainly I forgot there was no reverse light in brake/turn signal housing.
 
I’m having the same problem after installing a subwoofer amp. The Skar amp has an ‘on/off’ trigger that is just a voltage sensor. I tapped an accessory power line that was going into or out of the Mark Levinson factory amp. Worked fine for a day or so, then the A/C stopped working - throwing a ‘not connected’ error on the nav display. A day or so later, I lost my turn signals and reverse lights?

I’ve checked the voltage on both sides of thr accessory power line that I had tapped for the amp’s ‘turn on’ voltage sensor line. Everything reads 11.6ish volts in any segment.

Fuses are good. Just ordered a complete set of bulbs to swap in.

My hazard lights still work…

I’m at a loss as to what the root cause might be…

471C1748-D1E8-48D8-9005-EB63F47851EC.jpeg


11AA65AF-DE65-435A-A817-0E1F98493D13.jpeg
 
Oh, and I even replaced the Flasher/turn signal controller behind the interior driver side footwell fuse panel. BTW ~ The placement of that component sucks, Lexus engineer(s).
 
I ran into this when doing Prado tails swap this weekend. Check this fuse...
Ig1 no. 2 fuse

PXL_20221023_034314190.jpg

 
I ran into this when doing Prado tails swap this weekend. Check this fuse...
Ig1 no. 2 fuse

View attachment 3150906

This was my problem as well!

I made the same diagnostic mistake: I used a continuity tester on the fuses while they were still plugged in and that particular fuse tested out good while plugged in. Doh!!!

TLDR - remove every fuse and test it because testing it while it’s plugged in can give you a false positive result!
 
I ran into this when doing Prado tails swap this weekend. Check this fuse...
Ig1 no. 2 fuse

View attachment 3150906
G
 
Great Scott man! Ig1 - I ran myself around for ever this afternoon and your one post solved my issue - 2006 V8 4Runner - Mint condition until I started monkeying around with the reverse camera install. -- Thank you for your spot-on post!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom