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frustrating huh? hmm...i bet its access panel is in the trunk. Pop the trunk and look above where the center stop light area is. I think there might be a way to access the lighting bulb and rest. I hope you have luck. Keep me in touch of your progress.
It may be very similar to my friend's 98 Avalon.
The plastic cover as stated before pops up. Try a little pressure with a screw drive just under the edge nearest the seat. There were two catches that popped out and then the whole cover lifted up from the seat side towards the window. Once removed the bulb was easy to get at. About a $2.00 replacement. Cover just pops back in place.
Don't go poking too far in with the screwdriver, on the Avalon, there was a speaker in there too.