My Tacoma continuously blows the tail light fuse. ANy idea why or where to start looking?

Not sure if this helps, but my truck has a bunch of electrical work done to it (stripped out security system, hardwired dash cam, remote start) and finally after the last mod installing a new head unit, I found out the tail light fuse blew and kept blowing upon replacement. Same as you all, brake lights and turn signals work, but no tail lights.

Knowing the last electrical mod was the headunit, I started there and pulled that out, found the tech was sloppy and I found lots of wires in the harnesses were cut and open. One was the power to something and it shorted because it was “welded” to the metal headunit case. I taped up the loose ends, replaced the 10 fuse in the driver dash and been fine ever since. Idk how the radio ties into the taillights, but maybe someday someone finds this info useful.

 

Tail Light Circuit: https://www.customtacos.com/tech.ol...6toyewd/06toypdf/ewd/2006/tacoma/h/em01d9.pdf

Illumination Circuit: https://www.customtacos.com/tech.ol...toyewd/06toypdf/ewd/2006/tacoma/h/em01d10.pdf

If you look at both of those schematics you will see that the Tail Fuse also provides power for the dash illumination circuit including the Stereo Illumination.

 

Sounds like a ground somewhere. Check the source of the fuse and then check all wires connected to it.

Had this problem earlier this year. Turns out it was a wire going to my shifter. My shifter was locked up and my IG fuse kept on blowing. When I put back my center panel I must have pinched the wire and it was rubbing on the sharp metal bracket, eventually to the wire and grounding itself out. You can see in the photo where there’s a burn mark on the upper part of the bracket. The wire is already taped up.

 

Thanks for those, I'll have to do some chasing wires this weekend. The illumination of the dash was how I initially realized that the fuse had been blowing.

 

That might be a good place for me to start looking now. I had an airbag issue a few months ago and the dealership had to pretty much redo an entire wiring harness so I'm worried they were sloppy with something.

 

I've done both tail lights the trailer wiring harness, the backup lights by the license plate, did the headlights, and did every plug that goes into the radio and climate control. Anyone got any other easy checks before I go digging deeper?

 

I know you have checked this already but my sons 2012 was doing this and ended up being the trailer adaptor. He would leave it plugged in all the time and it got water in it. After about an hour of searching and tracing wires it was as easy as pulling the adaptor out. SOB that fixed it. I keep mine on my 2015 in my drivers door panel pocket.

 

I finally found the problem. This is the driver side blinker and DLR. The weird part is the bulb still worked as the blinker and the DLR. Even when the fuse would blow this bulb was still working. Doesn't make any sense to me but I got it fixed. Thanks for the help.

 

Yea i was gonna say some bulb in front headlights. I had aftermarket ones and halo short circuited. Finally just unplugged both halo lights. Couldn't find where short was.

 

you said you unplugged the headlights and didn’t find the problem then. How did you know to go back and check that bulb? I’m currently having the same issue as you did

 

I unplugged just the headlight bulbs them selves and after that didn't work I unplugged every thing that went to the headlights and that's how I found it. I pretty much when for the shotgun approach and checked everything I could possibly think of. Somebody posted the Illumination circuits and I just started checking things off one at a time.

 

I followed this whole saga and created an account just to say thank you to everyone here. My problem was the same exactly. Drivers side DRL.

 

Which is sort of funny because OP created his account specifically to post his question then never posted again.

 

Radio harness has a feed from the tail light circuit. The radio uses this to decide on dimming. Usually goes to a blue wire on radio harness.