No one seemed to have this fix for the third brake light (high mounted stop light) on the third generation LS400 (1998-2000), so here it is.
Here is what is looks like when you lift up and pull out. It does take quite a bit of force to pull this out. Make sure you lift high enough to have clearance on the red plastic. I used two screwdrivers on each side to lift the light up and then grab on the sides and pull out level.
Next, turn counter clockwise to remove light fixture. Now pull bulb out--it does not unscrew.
Best to replace both bulbs once you're in there.
Check your connections and test the lights to make sure they are working.
Replace the whole unit by pushing back in place. This goes easy and fits snug.
My bulb lasted over 11 years. Pretty good. The Lexus dealer wanted $10 per bulb. Local auto parts store did it for $3.80
Hope this helps you out.
Bob

 

thanks this is next on the list. i KEEP gettting TAIL LAMP FAILURE. it lasts like a week and then goes off. Once i get on the freeway again it comes on again

 

nice diy !!!!!

 

To avoid confusion, the 98-00 is not the third gen LS.
It's still the 2nd gen, but it's UCF20 II

 

I had the same thing happen to me. My 2000 LS400 instrument panel annunciator said taillight failure. A mechanic at work said he would repair the problem. I put my foot on the brake petal, and he noticed that one of the lamps in the third stop light / high mount stop light was not working. He poped the trunk and looked for the bottom of the assembly and could not find it. I came to this website and found pictures showing how to remove the assembly and replace the bulbs, both were going to be replaced due to the assembly being removed. The guy at work put two new bulbs in, both lights worked, and the taillight failure message went away until I put my foot on the brake petal to put the car in park. The lights still worked but the annunciator came up again with taillight failure. I came back to this site again and did some more research and learned that the buld has to be a certain wattage or it will still send a fault to the cars computer. I stopped by a name brand auto part store and bought a 2 pack of Sylvania 921 LL light bulbs. The guy at the store put the lights in for me and I again put my foot on the brake petal and the failure message did not come back on. It's kind of funny how a small thing such as wattage dosen't matter with a light bulb in the house, but it matters to a car. Also I am thankful I did not have to take my car to the dealer and shell out a lot of money for the $2.00 it cost me at the store.

 

Some have not been able to see the Large pics by clicking on them, so I will post again for easy viewing now that I figured it out. The DIY steps are in my original post if needed. For this update I could not insert text between the pics--that's the next thing I'll learn to do.
Cheers

 

Thanks for the great photos. Had one bulb out on brake light above the trunk. Sylvania 921LL bulbs in the two-pack did the trick.
This site continues to be a great resource.

 

Hey everyone:

Just wanted to say "thank you" for the great posting.

I just changed the bulbs on my "cyclops" brake light this morning. One of the bulbs on my passenger side brake light was also out, so I replaced both bulbs.

I have a 1996 LS 400 with 170,000 miles on it, and it sure is nice to have these postings as a resource.

Thank you so much.

David

 

My bad i though we have to access it via the trunk... Good info..

 

i've mods the 3rd light brake to LED strip... I will try to post the photos if i can. But there is probls, it seem the warning light still lit at the dashboard .. is ther any forum electrician around?. I was thinking to loop it back or install back the new bulbs + LED together.Any suggestion?

 

resistance is off, you need a resistance ballast.

 

...and if you run new bulb & LED strip you'll still get the error message when the new bulb goes out. I was trying to find a source for an LED bulb replacement, like the LED taillight replacement bulbs but haven't come across any yet. BTW, thanks to the original poster for this DIY, it was the first service I performed on my LS400, and I had already read this when I was negotiating for my current LS400. The seller knocked $100 off the price and gave me the spare bulbs thinking it was going to be a 'job' to replace. Thanks to this thread the 'job' was done in 2 minutes.

 

Extremely helpful with pictures and directions. Couldn't have done the replacement without your post. Thank you.

 

Glad I could help out. This site has helped me numerous times. This is my little contribution.
Cheers

 

Thanks for the info. I'm a new member, just joined today and already found tow excellent threads to resolve the issues of "Failed Taillight ".
I know this is an old thread but I'm sure more "new" owners will appreciate it .