The last time I was at
the dealer, I saw the newly designed tail lights from the '01 4Runner.
They are much clearer and have a more sculpted shape than the previous
'96 -'00 tails. As you can see in the pics below, they really clean up
the back and look especially nice with the chrome bumper.
If you are considering this mod, you can order from
Burtman Industries.
These are total replacement tail lights and come with
the wiring harness seen in the photo. Some of the bulbs in the new tails
are smaller than the ones they are replacing, so it's necessary that you
replace the wiring harness and bulbs. To install the tails, you need to
remove the screws in the bottom plastic trim plate, the plastic cargo cover
holders and from the old tails themselves. Now you can pry back the
plastic side panels, unclip the old wire harness, remove the ground and
pull the old tail lights out. Since I had already had these panels apart
when I did my stereo install, it took about 20 minutes. Make sure the plastic
panels aren't too cold because they could crack when you pry/bend them.
