# 1987 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer Wiring Issues. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2012, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132 "2012-03-29T07:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AndrewAnga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@AndrewAnga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewAnga)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132/1 "2012-03-29T07:55:52Z")
soo, I got pulled over today because my taillights and dash light just stopped working, along with my fuel gauge shortly after. my headlights work, my interior lights work. just the tailights, dashlights and fuel gauge dont work. if I can upload pics I can show a detailed view of the in dash wiring ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132/2 "2012-03-29T13:32:34Z")
It’s jumping to a conclusion to ascribe these problems to wiring issues. While that is possible, simultaneous loss of taillights and instrument panel lighting is more likely to be something like a faulty headlight switch, or perhaps even a fuse. The fuel gauge, being on a different circuit and failing at a later time, is very likely a separate problem. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132/3 "2012-03-29T15:08:52Z")
I have a '98 Cherokee (Sport) and electrical issues have been my bane for over 10 years now. A couple of times the speedometer has stopped working and the Airbag light comes on. A blow to the top of the dashboard from my fist has fixed that problem. The electric locks haven’t worked for years despite several “repairs”. The windows only operate from the driver’s console, not the passengers’. The clock/radio display goes dark quite often. I used to have to tap the screen to get the display to come back on, now it takes repeated hard blows from the heel of my hand. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132/4 "2012-03-29T15:27:08Z")
instrument panels are large circuit boards, bad connections can develop that can disable its lighting or function; these can come and go. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132/5 "2012-03-29T15:35:15Z")
The taillights are probably wired into the signal switch which may be called a multifunction switch if it has the wipers or headlights etc on it. In my wrangler its abbreviated weird in the fusebox, like MF or MFUNC or something that you’d never expect to be the blinkers, so it’s easy to check all the possible fuses and still miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1987-jeep-cherokee-pioneer-wiring-issues/617132/6 "2012-03-29T15:55:27Z")
Sounds like a Tale of Tears.