S10 tail light problem

Trying to help a friend with an 02 S10 LS single cab. The right rear tail light assembly and right license plate light does not work at all.

We changed the bulbs, checked the fuses, still can't find the problem. The Turn signal, brake and tail light, and reverse lamps don't work whatsoever nor the license plate light. The right side works fine, and the front lights work fine.

Need some advice on where/what we need to do as to try to run down the problem. Since we changed out the bulbs, not sure where the wiring diagrams would be found to check those out, but the wiring from the tail light assembly and coming from the license plate light seem to be OK.

Appreciate any help we can get :)

Are you getting good 12 volts to them?
Good ground?
Doesit have a add on trailer light plugin with a lot of spliced in wiring?

Are you getting good 12 volts to them?
Good ground?
Doesit have a add on trailer light plugin with a lot of spliced in wiring?

no work ever in the back and no trailer plugin. We've messed around all afternoon with this thing.

The connection where the wires plug in is getting volts just fine. Ground is OK....nothing traveling up the wires - has to be the connector right there under the bumper at the rear of the truck.... Going to get a new connector first of the week and try that

Get the old test light fired up and probe the wiring for lose of 12 volts.
Good luck.

^^^^
aight.... will do
thanks! :)

I have similar prob....left side..backup light was bad..replaced...but blinker clicks real fast without lighting left..both big bulbs replaced when small one was. i do have the trailer harness....any help appreciated.

Could still be a bad bulb or the flasher.

We going to try next weekend I think to change out the plug at the end of the wires and see if that works. We put in new bulbs and still no luck

So, I have had this same problem for the last year or so. Right side tail light and right tag light...nothing. I replaced everything. I posted here. I tried to think of anything and everything other than tracing the wire all the way up the truck. When I read this thread it motivated me to go tinker with it again. When I got under the truck I layed there looking and figured why not try this taped up spot first. This was the place in the wire bundle where all the wires meet in the back right before all joining together to head up through the frame rail. There was a wire that was all corroded green. It was a red wire from the front that connected to the brown tail light wire. Cut out the corroded connection, made a new... and finally I have two tail lights again!!! Sorry for the long post. Just thought I would share. I hope this helps someone!!

So, I have had this same problem for the last year or so. Right side tail light and right tag light...nothing. I replaced everything. I posted here. I tried to think of anything and everything other than tracing the wire all the way up the truck. When I read this thread it motivated me to go tinker with it again. When I got under the truck I layed there looking and figured why not try this taped up spot first. This was the place in the wire bundle where all the wires meet in the back right before all joining together to head up through the frame rail. There was a wire that was all corroded green. It was a red wire from the front that connected to the brown tail light wire. Cut out the corroded connection, made a new... and finally I have two tail lights again!!! Sorry for the long post. Just thought I would share. I hope this helps someone!!

Right on there Smokefan20
Glad you found your problem.
And thanks for letting us know how it went.
Any time rear electrical wires are spliced or probed the should be sealed up with elctrical wire sealer.

So, I have had this same problem for the last year or so. Right side tail light and right tag light...nothing. I replaced everything. I posted here. I tried to think of anything and everything other than tracing the wire all the way up the truck. When I read this thread it motivated me to go tinker with it again. When I got under the truck I layed there looking and figured why not try this taped up spot first. This was the place in the wire bundle where all the wires meet in the back right before all joining together to head up through the frame rail. There was a wire that was all corroded green. It was a red wire from the front that connected to the brown tail light wire. Cut out the corroded connection, made a new... and finally I have two tail lights again!!! Sorry for the long post. Just thought I would share. I hope this helps someone!!

Hey man, thanks for posting this. Gonna show this to my friend, so before we start working on replacing that plug, we can check over those wires a bit closer. We worked all day last Saturday and figured finally that it had to be the plug where the wires connect since nothing else seemed to work...but after your post, we'll check this out and make sure all the wires are OK...we might have missed something somewhere...too many wires bundled together right there and it was about 90 degrees by time we finished so we were so hot I'm sure we missed a few things...

thanks again man!! :)

That thing will eat you alive if you do not make a good plan of attack on it.

First thing get a good volt meter or a old type bulb test light.
Also A good wiring diagram would go a long way in helping you.
A factory repair manual or
http://www.alldata.com/products/diy/index.html
Also Most Public libraries also have auto repair info and wiring diagrams on it.


On your truck the left and right tail/park lamp is on seperate wire/wiring and has separate fuse's in fuse box.

Go to fuse box and check left and right rear PRK fuses for 12 volt power on both sides of fuse with head or tail/park light on.

If 12 volts there go to rear body light wiring plug in and check for 12 volts on right park light wire.
The right side rear park wire is Brown/and white.
The left side park light wire is the brown one.

If good 12 volts there then trace the wiring on to right tail/licence plate lights and find out where it is losing 12 volts.
Let us know what you find and how it goes.
Good luck

That thing will eat you alive if you do not make a good plan of attack on it.

First thing get a good volt meter or a old type bulb test light.
Also A good wiring diagram would go a long way in helping you.
A factory repair manual or
http://www.alldata.com/products/diy/index.html
Also Most Public libraries also have auto repair info and wiring diagrams on it.


On your truck the left and right tail/park lamp is on seperate wire/wiring and has separate fuse's in fuse box.

Go to fuse box and check left and right rear PRK fuses for 12 volt power on both sides of fuse with head or tail/park light on.

If 12 volts there go to rear body light wiring plug in and check for 12 volts on right park light wire.
The right side rear park wire is Brown/and white.
The left side park light wire is the brown one.

If good 12 volts there then trace the wiring on to right tail/licence plate lights and find out where it is losing 12 volts.
Let us know what you find and how it goes.
Good luck
thanks! have already checked the fuses....but will do more work this weekend and maybe next week. Called my friend just a bit ago, he said maybe later tonight or tomorrow we'll start working on a few more things. He made copies of the wiring out of a manual already this week...

again - thanks for all the advice and will keep you guys informed :)

thanks! have already checked the fuses....but will do more work this weekend and maybe next week. Called my friend just a bit ago, he said maybe later tonight or tomorrow we'll start working on a few more things. He made copies of the wiring out of a manual already this week...

again - thanks for all the advice and will keep you guys informed :)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
And remember the left and right is on separate fuse and wiring from fuse box back.
Look and check for where the wiring is losing voltage.
A good test light is your best friend on that end.

found out need the complete wiring that goes from the tails and license plate light (bundled together) - which includes the sockets and connector plugs.

new these things are like $250. Trying to locate on craigs list or Ebay. If you guys run across any links, plese let me knwo -I"ll try to pick the item up while my friend is in school since I have a bit more free time where I can check online at this forum and maybe go on to ebay and buy the item...

Its for LH side - don't remember now if I said that or not.

THANKS GUYS!! Really do appreciate your help :)

If you would do some testing and find out where the wire is bad you should be able to repair the bad spot or wire around it.
And save a couple hundred bucks.
Good luck

These will work.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TAIL-LIGHT-HARNESS-CHEVY-S10-S-10-TRUCK-SONOMA-XTREME_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33710QQihZ024QQi temZ370090611759

CHEVY S-10 TAIL LIGHTS PROBLEM RESOLVED...It seems Chevy engineered a ground shorting clip located under the left rear bumper area. It looks like a connector for trailer wiring harness, but in actuallity is a metal shorting clip which ties 5 wires together. They are all the ground wires for the tail lights. Then one single small wire runs to ground completeing the circuit. Problem is that this one wire is not tough enough to be a strain relief for the grounding plug and over time the ground wire wears, leaving intermittent lighting problems. FIX IS TO SPLICE THE GROUND WIRE INTO ONE OF THE FIVE OTHER WIRES AND USE PLASTIC TY WRAP FOR STRAIN RELIEF. This fixes no tail lights, intermittent rear signals, and other significant problems. I just got done making this same repair on a 2000 s-10 and everything works fine. Since it is the strain on the single ground wire connected to the connector that leads to failure, it is best to tie a new ground or clip the ground wire coming out of the plug and resplice it into one of the other five wires. Does not matter which one since electrically it makes no difference; they are all gound wires. BUT only one wire completes the connection and that is the problem. Really good engineering Chevy!

I have almost the same problem but for a 1999 chevy s10 pick-up.. i also have the prnd321 and km reading lights that also come on and off when want to.. was wondering if anyone can help step by step trying to figure it out as in canada it can be dangerous driving with one signal.. please help thanks