03 X5 “Check Rear Lights” message

[flyup123]

Dear connoisseurs of the E53,

When I bought my 03 pre-facelift X5 last October, it came prepackaged with two error messages upon startup. They were 2 “CHECK BRAKE LININGS” codes and two “CHECK REAR LIGHTS” codes. The brake linings is a simple fix, as I can just run a wire across the connector for the brake pad sensor, but the rear lights code has me baffled! As the code states, it tells me that rear lights on the tailgate aren’t working, which they aren’t. I tested the bulbs and they’re still good, but I can’t find the glovebox fuse/trunk area fuse to replace. All of my other running lights work, but the two in the back have no power at all. What is truly baffling is the reverse lights work, but not the rears. Any suggestions?

Ben T.