"bulb out" warning icon

[Stephen Clark]

My wife's RX300 has this icon on in the instrument panel - the little car
with dashes coming from the rear lights. It comes on when you put the car in
gear.

I looked it up, and it says simply "bulb out". Now I would think that it
would be easy to look and see which bulb it is, but I have checked them all,
including high and low beams, brakes, turn signals, running lights, backup
lights, fog lights, and license plate lights. They are all working, both
front and rear.

What am I overlooking? Is this just a fluke? It started one rainy night
after going through some accumulated water on the highway. The fog lights
were on at the time, if that is a clue.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Ice]

I had this happen with my ES and was at a loss to figure out what light it
was as well . It turned out I overlooked the rear brake light that was on
the upper deck inside the car .

Post by Stephen Clark
My wife's RX300 has this icon on in the instrument panel - the little car
with dashes coming from the rear lights. It comes on when you put the car
in gear.
I looked it up, and it says simply "bulb out". Now I would think that it
would be easy to look and see which bulb it is, but I have checked them
all, including high and low beams, brakes, turn signals, running lights,
backup lights, fog lights, and license plate lights. They are all working,
both front and rear.
What am I overlooking? Is this just a fluke? It started one rainy night
after going through some accumulated water on the highway. The fog lights
were on at the time, if that is a clue.
Thanks for any suggestions!
--
Stephen Clark
99 Lexus RX300
Houston, Texas USA

[mcbrue]

Check the bulb in the "bulb out" display. Sometimes that burns out and
then the little back up bulb in the "bulb out bulb out" display comes
on . But they haven't figured out how to get it to display properly
since it is just indicating a bulb out bulb out condition. Hence the
common confusion.

[greg]

Post by mcbrue
Check the bulb in the "bulb out" display. Sometimes that burns out and
then the little back up bulb in the "bulb out bulb out" display comes
on . But they haven't figured out how to get it to display properly
since it is just indicating a bulb out bulb out condition. Hence the
common confusion.

Where do you come up with this "back up bulb out-bulb out bulb"
stuff???? I know you know we all know you're talking about things you
think know you know about but we know you know you're making up, but
seriously...

The tail light warning indicator is a simple ground circuit. The light
only comes on when the ground is broken due to a bulb filament being
broken in one of the TAIL LIGHTS (outer parking light/brake light
combo bulbs, 3rd brakelight bulb at top of hatch, or inner parking
lights).

[Ray O]

Post by Stephen Clark
My wife's RX300 has this icon on in the instrument panel - the little car
with dashes coming from the rear lights. It comes on when you put the car
in gear.
I looked it up, and it says simply "bulb out". Now I would think that it
would be easy to look and see which bulb it is, but I have checked them
all, including high and low beams, brakes, turn signals, running lights,
backup lights, fog lights, and license plate lights. They are all working,
both front and rear.
What am I overlooking? Is this just a fluke? It started one rainy night
after going through some accumulated water on the highway. The fog lights
were on at the time, if that is a clue.
Thanks for any suggestions!
--
Stephen Clark
99 Lexus RX300
Houston, Texas USA

As Ice suggested, check the bulbs in the center high mounted stop lamp, and
pay attention to the number of bulbs in the fixtures - some have more than
one. If all of the bulbs are working, then check to see if any are dimmer
than the others. If that is the case, clean the bulb socket and protect the
socket with a dab of dielectric grease.

[Stephen Clark]

Aha! I checked the brake lights w/o having the taillights on, and it's the
left outside brake light that is out.

Any links to instructions?

Thanks for your responses!

[Ray O]

Post by Stephen Clark
Aha! I checked the brake lights w/o having the taillights on, and it's the
left outside brake light that is out.
Any links to instructions?
Thanks for your responses!
--
Stephen Clark
99 Lexus RX300
Houston, Texas USA

There should be instructions in your owner's manual. If you want to pay
$10/day, you can get access at techinfo.toyota.com.

[greg]

Post by Stephen Clark
Aha! I checked the brake lights w/o having the taillights on, and it's the
left outside brake light that is out.
Any links to instructions?
Thanks for your responses!
--
Stephen Clark
99 Lexus RX300
Houston, Texas USA

Open hatch. Remove the circular black cover(s) that hide the
screws(s). Unscrew the screws. Tip the tail lamp assembly forward to
reveal the bulb sockets.

[Stephen Clark]

I figured it out myself, simple procedure. The manual says "take it to your
dealer". I replaced the bulb for $1.50, and made my own cappuccino. It's
ridiculous to assume that Lexus owners can't change their own light bulbs!

Thanks to all who responded, and Happy Holidays!
--
Stephen Clark
99 Lexus RX300
Houston, Texas USA

Post by Stephen Clark
My wife's RX300 has this icon on in the instrument panel - the little car
with dashes coming from the rear lights. It comes on when you put the car
in gear.
I looked it up, and it says simply "bulb out". Now I would think that it
would be easy to look and see which bulb it is, but I have checked them
all, including high and low beams, brakes, turn signals, running lights,
backup lights, fog lights, and license plate lights. They are all working,
both front and rear.
What am I overlooking? Is this just a fluke? It started one rainy night
after going through some accumulated water on the highway. The fog lights
were on at the time, if that is a clue.
Thanks for any suggestions!
--
Stephen Clark
99 Lexus RX300
Houston, Texas USA