"bulb out" warning icon

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 .

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.

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.

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).

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!

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

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.

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!