This 2005 Nissan Maxima came in with the complaint that the tail lights do not work and the fuse blows. The tail light fuse is located in the underhood fuse box on the passenger side of the vehicle. The black plastic trim panel that runs from the firewall to the headlight assembly has to be removed. There are several push pin retainers that hold it in place.
With the trim panel removed grab the fuse box cover and pull it up and off of the fuse box. Note the position of the tail light fuse on the fuse box legend. Be careful around the fuse box and use a gentle hand. There is a processor built into the intelligent fuse box assembly.
Locate the fuse in the fuse box and test both sides of the fuse. This one had power on one leg but not on the other. I replaced the fuse and the park/tail lights started working again. Normal inspections of the bulbs and related wiring found nothing. I started bouncing the body around to see if the fuse would blow. Nothing. I started opening and closing the doors firmly and the fuse blew. Replaced the fuse again and the lights stayed on.
While sitting in the car contemplating what to check next, I noticed that the dome light switch in the overhead console was not sitting properly. A gentle wiggle and the fuse blew. I knew this because the dash illumination lights changed in intensity. A little more wiggling and the switch fell apart.
I made sure all of the pieces were out and replaced the fuse again. The lights worked and no matter how many times I moved the car around or opened and closed the doors the fuse remained good.
I found it strange that there would be a tail light circuit attached to the dome light switch and I could find no reference to this in the wiring diagrams.
Although I was sure the problem had been located, I now had a switch that needed to be replaced. There is one screw (phillips) that holds the assembly in place along with several clips.
It takes a good bit of force to dislodge the retaining clips. I used a wide plastic pry bar aimed at the white plastic clips to dislodge the fasteners.
Once the leading edge fasteners were free the two metal clips at the rear of the assembly were easy to remove.
The dome light switch unplugs from the back of the assembly. The switch and harness are then removed from the front of the light assembly. I called my Nissan dealership to find out that the switch is not sold separately. The cost of the assembly is $350 and only four in the country.
I did some testing and found that if I connected the white wire to the orange wire the dome light would work as if the switch was placed to the auto/door position.
A couple of snips. A splicing connector, some heat shrink tubing and the dome light works as most people expect anyway. Open the door and it comes on. Close the door and it turns off. Slight delay since it is a Nissan design. They prefer their dome lights to fade out gradually.
So if you have a hard to find short in the tail light circuit be sure to check this switch out. If you also do not want to spend $350 on a new light assembly but want the dome light to work, just connect the orange and white wires together as I did. I would strongly recommend checking the wire locations and electrical circuits yourself. Sometimes manufacturers will change the wire color codes for internal wiring and yours may or may not match this one.
The park lights now work without the fuse blowing and the dome light works as the customer requested.
This is great info. I’ve been dealing with the dome switch being broken without any lights coming on when the door opens for months now on my 2004. I was about to visit the junkyard to see if i can find a replacement console but I think your suggestion is a better solution since it’s only just a matter of time before the switch on any replacement console will surely break again. Nissan should be ashamed for making the switch walls so thin and prone to breakage. So many customers are reporting this quality issue that they should really consider replacing this part for FREE.
thank you so much you a life saver!! I’m a single mother and was so stressed over this. Nissan was going to change $120 just to diagnose the problem. again than you do much!!
Omg….same exact situation im experiencing. It started with the map interior light feeling loose an hanging out. I go to push on it and it falls completely out. Next my interior lights become very bright around the dashboard. The lastly i notice i have no tail lights. I thank you sooo much for this post. After reading your post i feel so much better and i know this will help me. Thank you, Thank you Thank you again.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help. I had the same problem with my Nissan Maxima 2004. I after reading your post I was able to detect the issue. Thanks again.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. My 2005 maxima recently started blowing the 15amp tail lamp fuse as well. I would replace the fuse and it would be good for about 24 hours ago before randomly blowing again. I checked my stereo connections, as I installed an aftermarket system a couple of months ago. Everything looked fine. All harnesses and bulbs seemed fine as well. Had no idea what to check next. Tried my dome light switch tonight and noticed it felt a little “soft” or “slushy” for lack of better words. In other words, it no longer ‘clicks’ between the set positions, it just somewhat floats between off, auto and on when I toggle it. I will be taking it apart tomorrow and unplugging it temporarily (never really use it anyway) until I can find a replacement.I have got to be experiencing the same problem that you dealt with, as everything else in my car seems great. I had no idea that the dome/map light was tied into the same fuse as the tails. Again, I respectfully thank you for the guidance.