How do you correct a problem with tail lights and dash gauges not working on a 98 Chevy Malibu?

Answer 1

if you have recently installed a new stereo deck this may be why: there is a wire that dimms and brightens the display on your stock stereo (which is connected to your dash and tail lights) and most after market stereos do not have a place to wire this in, so some time the wire is just pushed back into the dash and it ends up grounding out and blowing the fuse. if this is the situation, pull the stereo back out and make sure that all of the wires that were connected to the stock stereo and now are not connected to the new one, are cut back (just the uninsullated part of the wire, not the entire wire) so that no copper wires are sticking out past the insullation, then cap the ends with wire nuts and wrap elecrical tape around the wire nut and the wire ( since electrical tape streches make sure that you wrap the tape in the same direction you tightened the wire nut, to keep the wire nut from coming loose or falling off, cause since it is in a vehicle there will be quite a bit of vibration.) however if this is not the case and you have not insalled a new stereo, i would try and replace the fuse, and if it blows open again then you have a short some where in the circuit. i hope that this helps you!

The tail light assemblies on late-90s Chevrolets have a tendency to turn defective after about 5 or 6 years. This could be your tail light problem.