1999 Camry keeps blowing tail fuse (10A)

sounds like you have a short to ground thats drawing excessive current. Maybe a split/broken wire inside the harness? Are any of the connectors or the sockets melted? Does the fuse blow right away or only after you step on the brake pedal? If its nothing obvious it sounds like its wiring diagram and DVOM time!

You fail to mention, I'm assuming tail lights, *not* brake lights.

Untwist the sockets and check the ground wire, make sure nothing got inside the socket (water, debris, etc) The license plate light shouldn't have anything to do with it, but stranger things have happened...

Yes, it's the tail (10A) fuse which I only mentioned in the Subject line. When the fuse is out the license plate bulbs (and the tail lights) won't illuminate...

Today I noticed that when the trunk lid is up and I replace the fuse, the lights all seem to work. When I then lower the trunk lid about

15%, the fuse blows. I guess this sugests that I have a wiring short in the vicinity of where the wires run along the driver side trunk support...? Darned if I can see it!

Sounds like you may have a chaffed or kinked wire shorting right there in the rear harness. Once you have a logical place to start (sounds like it) get a razor and carefully cut away the factory wrap and inspect inch by inch. You'd be amazed at how little insulation can come off and short!

Sorry, sometimes need to be redundant! (Here's a story for you. Sold a truck to a woman. Called me back and said the check engine light was on. I told her it probably means the Emissions System is not working properly. I called my mechanic, scheduled an appointment, called her back, told her about the appointment and told here the truck will run, but will not get very good gas mileage, since there is probably a problem with the emissions system. She goes to the mecahnic. He calls me and says there is a crack in the intake gasket and the downstream O2 sensor is out. I call the person, tell her that she needs to bring it back day after tomorrow, and that there is a problem with the emission system. You can drive the thing, but it will get lousy gas mileage. The day after this call, she's in my office all bent out of shape, because the truck failed the emissions part of the inspection! Uh, no kidding! And why did the inspector NOT tell her it was going to fail? The check engine light was only glowing Bright Orange!)

Do you have an interior trunk light? try disconnecting the connector to this light, or the main connector to the lights on the deck lid and see what happens.

trunk and

keep

out.

lights.

got

shouldn't

fuse,

short

WELL then, look at the harnass that feeds the tail lamps were it gets flexed by the trunk lid hinge! Apparently there is a chaffed wire within that harnass.

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- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM

Today I noticed that when the trunk lid is up and I replace the fuse,

Try feeling for it. Carefully cut open the outer covering far enough to expose the length of wires that flexes with the hinge. Run your fingers along each individual wire, gently pulling on the wire with the trunk in the "up" position and the lights operating correctly. When you get to the damaged section, you should see the lights go out. Doing this, found I could feel a small kink in one of the wires which promptly broke all the way through with moderate pressure, so that is the wire I repaired. No problems since. If pulling doesn't do it, try flexing each portion of each wire by hand. If you take your time and examine each section of each wire, you'll find it. Then re seal the outer covering by wrapping electrical tape when you're done.