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Reverse lights coming on randomly? Help?

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by aleriance, Apr 9, 2017.

  1. Apr 9, 2017 at 8:49 AM
    #1
    aleriance

    aleriance [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Looking to see if anyone has heard or experienced this issue?

    Brand new 2017 4x4 OR, just over 1k miles on it...

    Upgraded to LED headlights, foglights, and reverse lights last week. Very happy with all, reverse lights are bright as hell. (link included to exact bulbs below)

    I took some of my buddies trail riding last night and while I was driving, I threw the truck in Reverse (f me right?) to test out what I had read on here that as a safety feature, the truck will go into Neutral instead, but you will be able to see the reverse cam while driving. (again, I simply did this to see if it is true)

    ... twas true. It did work.

    Now, I put it back in drive right before we get onto the gravel road where the trail begins... Next thing you know I look in my side mirror and see my reverse lights flickering on and off like it's having a seizure.

    I stop the truck, turn the ignition off, back on... and start driving again... same thing. The back of my truck is a moving strobe party in the middle of a pitch black trail... very distracting...

    I pull over, remove the bolts to the tail lights, pop the bulbs out, put the tail lights back in, and drive without reverse lights for the rest of the adventure...

    Any idea what happened?
     
  2. Apr 9, 2017 at 8:50 AM
    #2
    aleriance

    aleriance [OP] Well-Known Member

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  3. Apr 9, 2017 at 8:56 AM
    #3
    RIDERED67

    RIDERED67 Well-Known Member

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    So your saying that as you were moving forward you threw the shift lever selector from D to R just to see what it would do?

    :eek::eek::eek:
     
  4. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:01 AM
    #4
    Diablo169

    Diablo169 ROKRAPR

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    Trail disco lights, hell yeah, I'd rock that shit :bananadance:

    Did you ever put the bulbs back in, and if so did they work properly?
     
  5. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:02 AM
    #5
    Kadowampus

    Kadowampus Well-Known Member

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    Throwing it into reverse while moving forward is a ballsy gamble in itself but my knee jerk reaction says there's a short to power somewhere in the reverse light circuit causing the light to come on when bouncing down the trail. Unless the lights are controlled by some sort of module then that theory might not work. But if you have access to a wiring diagram we can nip this in the butt real fast by tracking down how that specific circuit is powered. (Side note: who the hell found you can put it in reverse while moving forward on a brand new truck? Seems completely insane but that's just me)
     
  6. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:14 AM
    #6
    ImplicitlyAlberta

    ImplicitlyAlberta VA6DCO

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    Its supposed to be for trailer hitch checking while on the highway. The 3rd gen tundras have this capability. Though it goes against everything Ive been taught about vehicles.
     
  7. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:16 AM
    #7
    Kadowampus

    Kadowampus Well-Known Member

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    Super weird. You would think for insurance reasons that wiring in a factory switch to bypass the reverse light camera switch would have been cheaper. But eff it if Toyota designed it like that! Haha
     
  8. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:18 AM
    #8
    gorram

    gorram Well-Known Member

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    Clearly not the fault of the new LEDs, seeing how they are error free and all.
     
  9. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:20 AM
    #9
    Diablo169

    Diablo169 ROKRAPR

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    o_O

    Knowing how stupid people are, I'd assume they would add a simple button rather than have people try to put it in reverse.
     
  10. Apr 9, 2017 at 9:41 AM
    #10
    RIDERED67

    RIDERED67 Well-Known Member

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    Is this a feature that's listed somewhere in our manuals?
     
  11. Apr 9, 2017 at 10:14 AM
    #11
    aleriance

    aleriance [OP] Well-Known Member

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    That's exactly what I did. This is a safety feature put in place. The 2015 Lexus I had before this did it too. It shifts the vehicle into neutral instead so you don't F up your tranny.
    Can't tell if you're trolling. If you are, spare me please. :fingerscrossed:
    I'm not sure if it's stated in the manual, but I found out about this after reading it in the "3rd gen tips and tricks" section of TW. I believe most, if not all newer Toyota/Lexus vehicles do this.
     
  12. Apr 9, 2017 at 10:47 AM
    #12
    flesheatingvirus

    flesheatingvirus Well-Known Member

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    Put factory bulbs back in and (if it still occurs) take it to a dealer. Don't show up with the LEDs installed.
     

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