Hi all,
After thorough searching, I'm still not able to find an answer so I'm hoping someone has dealt with the same issue I'm experiencing. The tail lights and tag light on my '01 Sport won't turn on at all. New bulbs, applicable fuses look good as well as the relay under the hood. Pulled the panel and checked the grounds and connections...all good. All other bulbs work (including brake lights). No melting on any sockets and all connections seem to be in good shape. So, the question is why would the brake lights work but not the tail lights, considering they are the same bulb? I know they run off of different fuses but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I haven't replaced the headlight switch, that's the only thing I can think of beyond a faulty brake light switch but I can't imagine that being the issue. I found an old post on another forum describing the exact issue I'm having, but it's from 10 years ago and there were never any follow-up posts describing a fix. Anyway, I'll halt my ramble there, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

You need to probe the wire on the back of the bulb socket using a multimeter. If you have 12 volts coming in on the wire that supplies power to the running light then the problem lies either with the socket or the bulb. If you don't have 12 volts then you're screwed and will spend the next two years of your life tracing that wire back to the fuse panel. I'm kidding, it should only take a few months.