HOW TO: 2022+ Tundra mirror LED courtesy puddle light installation and wiring.

MY2021 and prior Platinum+ models had nice LED mirror puddle lights; Toyota decided we're not worthy this generation (even though we pay much more for it than ever before), thus here we are.

This is how to add mirror LED courtesy puddle lights to your 2022+ Tundra.



Assumptions:
Some steps (how to remove a door panel, for example) and descriptions are omitted in this guide, as I assume that you already know how to do a lot of these things. Please search, google-it, YT-it or ask here if you get stuck somewhere.

Major parts and components used:
VLEDs - universal puddle lights:
https://www.vleds.com/shop-products/auxiliary-lighting/universal-puddle-light.html
12mm push button switch (optional):

$15 Starelo 5pcs 12mm Latching led Push Button Switch Black Shell with pre-Wiring, IP65 Waterproof Push Button Switch,1NO 1 Normally,Self-Locking with LED(Blue).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BKWB95G?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
1.5" hole saw drill bit (or similar):
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...h-3-8-in-Arbor-Pilot-Bit-49-56-9665/202327735
Random wiring "things" such as electric tape, wire taps, zip ties, body/panel pry tools, etc.

Difficulty level:
PITA.

Fore notes:
While not overly difficult, this project is time consuming; don't rush and be prepared to spend a few good hrs on this (more like a whole afternoon, or more).
You will be taking body panels off, be comfortable with it (door panels, kick/threshold panels, dash undercovers/etc).
Know your way around 12V wiring, but this install is very basic.
You will need to work in VERY tight spaces (b/w door and frame). Patience, and girly hands will be key.

Last warning:
You will learn how to curse in a language you don't know yet, once you proceed...


INSTALLATION AND WIRING:
(We'll work a bit backwards, as we need to make sure you have all wiring worked out and ready, before you drill holes in your mirrors; you can always abandon wires/project, but once you drill holes, there is no going back)
All STEPS listed here correspond to the names on each attached image.

STEP# 1
Pull back on the rubber boot between your front door and A-frame (on both sides; we want the boot loose). Once somewhat loose, note where the tabs are located on the MOLEX connector which is mounted in the A-frame opening (green arrows in pic). You will need to depress all 4 of them to loosen up the connector and release from the body frame. 2 front ones are easy, but God help you with the 2 in the back.
This is the most frustrating part of the whole project. Use angled pry tools (I have body panel removal tool set) or whatever you can think of to click that tab in the back (and front). Try to get the bottom loose first, then hold it out, and then attempt to do the top clips.
Once/if you get them to click in the MOLEX connector will come out about 1 inch, which is more than nothing to give you some wiggle room to move it about and to make holes for the wire(s).
NOTE: when reassembling this after the project is done (or if you fail to make progress and want to back off and go back), you need to make sure the rubber boot you pulled off is pulled over the external shell of the MOLEX connector snugly, and evenly. This is your main/only protection from getting water into the truck through that opening. In the very worse case scenario, you might need a helper to hold/prop the door, then unbolt the door itself rom the body in order to give you a couple of inches to move your hand/tools around both sides to reinstall the boot properly.
I can't stress this enough - boot needs to be reinstalled properly. This is why we pull the MOLEX connector out a bit (for wire hole, but also to ease reinstallation of the boot). When ready, reinstall the boot around the MOLEX connector and click it back in - not the other way around (do not click the connector back into the frame, then try to work the boot around it).

STEP# 2
With the boot loose, and the MOLEX free pull it out a bit (about 1-1.5").
We now need to make a hole for the wire(s) we need to run.
Some people disconnect them and drill out each portion of the connector, but there is so little room and male portion does not seem to have almost any slack on wires, that I did not even dream of trying to do it that way. I dared not to disconnect the MOLEX.
Here's the easiest way to (IMO) make a hole for wires: with help of a small flathead open the flick back the black MOLEX retention clip (do not pull the connector apart at all). Take a 90-degree sharp pick and heat it to glowing red with a torch/etc. Use pics for reference, and burn/melt a hole at the very bottom of the connector. You want your melted hole to be below all OEM wires, but just above the retention clip for the black arm - again, see pics for a visual.
With a hole melted, insert your wire through it, then close the black connector arm. Fish one end of your wire inside the truck (it will come out somewhere, lol); remove kick panels prior.
**I ran 2 wires to my driver side door, because I'm going to use an optional switch - if you don't want a switch on the door itself then run only a single wire to your door (to each door).
This wire will be for 12V+ to the puddle light; we'll ground the lights on the door itself - no need for 2nd wire run to/through the door.

STEP# 3
With one end of your wire inside your truck, the other fished through the MOLEX connector, use a screwdriver or other "fishing" tool to get this wire through the rubber boot now. Be careful not to tear it no matter what you use to fish the wire (this is why some don't like using screw drivers for the task). Once you're through the boot, fish the wire inside the door; now secure it along the way inside, wherever you wish, with zip ties or electric tape.

STEP# 4
Reference the picture to see where the wire comes out (inside the door); secure it then decide how you'll bring it from inside the door to the outside. I decided to poke a hole in the weather-stripped connector (see arrows in pic) and fish the wire(s) though it. Once the wire's on the external shell of the door, zip tie/secure it and bring it all the way up in the corner by the mirror.
**Now's a good time to add sound proofing/deadening material in your doors, if like me you happen to have some laying around.

STEP# 4a
For ease of work you may remove the 3 bolts holding the mirror to the door, disconnect 2 wiring plugs and remove it (I did so with one, but took pics with my driver side mirror attached).
This step jumps a bit in time - to show you that once you have your lights installed its wiring will be ran where you see the green arrow, and the puddle LED light's ground wire will be secured to one of the mirror mounting bolts/nuts. There is no reason to run the ground wire back inside the truck (hence why we only run 1 wire through the door).

STEP# 5
Now that we have wires running from the mirrors, through the doors, and inside the cab, we need to connect them to the right circuit. We want to use the "Courtesy/Cargo" light circuit to operate our puddle lights. On Platinum models this circuit is also connected to the swich in Step# 5 pic. This switch operates exterior cargo lights (they're either OFF, automatic with doors/lock/unlock, or ON constantly while the vehicle is in "P").
**Flip this switch to the OFF position for the remainder of the installation, until all finished.

STEP# 5a
For Platinum/1794 and maybe PRO models:
We want to connect to the wire providing 12V+ to the tailgate courtesy light (which is connected to the 3rd brake light as well). This is the easiest wire to find, access and tap. We'll find it in the passenger side foot well/kick panel.
Proceed to STEP#6 and STEP# 6a.
For SR5/Limited models:
You do not have the same wiring as Platinums do, thus you will have to find a different source for power. You want to tap the 3rd brake light white LED light wire.
Proceed to STEP# 6b.

STEP# 6
Platinum/1794: remove passenger side foot well cover, locate the IN1 connector (open and disconnect for convenience). Pull back the protective boot, then locate PIN#2 in white on the bottom left of that connector. Tap this wire for your puddle lights 12V+ (connect both puddle lights' positive wires to this white wire here). Tape, secure and close up.
See pictures in STEP#6 and STEP# 6a for wiring schematics and general reference.

STEP# 6b
SR5/Limited: forum user @ByeF150HelloTundra provided the following info, after investigating his SR5 model for the wire in need. He pulled back the rear for the headliner (inside the cab) and confirms that the "white" wire there is the right wire for your connection for the puddle lights.
Quote from his original post "White wire (not white with black stripe) on the O8 harness. Once you pull the headliner down, it’s midline but a little closer to the driver’s side."
Tap this wire to connect your puddle lights.

STEP# 7
Now that we have our wiring "plugged in" and ran all the way to the mirrors, let's go to the mirrors themselves. Remove the exterior mirror cover (pulls straight out, towards the front of the truck; google it if you're not confident). Pic shows where the wires will go.

STEP# 8
With the mirror in your lap (if you removed it off the truck) you can remove the bottom plate (where the camera is on Platinums), then fish your light's wiring through to the inside - see/follow OEM wires for reference, and secure with zip ties as you go along.
**Obviously make sure you have enough slack on your wires, and if you are using the wiring provided by VLEDs you will be cutting their nice connectors OFF, as they will not fit through all the openings, etc where the wires need to go.

STEP# 9
Time to get ready to drill the openings for our puddle lights.
In this step I took my mirror glass off , to see what's going on behind it.
You don't really have to do this, but you ABSOLUTELLY NEED TO MAKE 100% SURE WHERE TO DRILL!
I provide my pics/measurements for reference. DO NOT take them as gospel. DO NOT blindly follow by marking and drilling location. This step is where YOU make exact measurements and decision where to drill the hole in your mirror!
Could you have drilled the hole in the removable bottom cover? Yes. However, it's very flimsy and held by fairy dust.....plus your puddle lights would be pointed up, due to the cover's profile.
For proper downward installation, the puddle light needs to be in the mirror assembly itself, and as close to the truck's body side as possible. This is where the most FLAT surface is on the underside of the mirror. Once you go towards outer edge, the underbody curves, and you will end up with gaps, if the puddle light is installed too far out.
Take a measuring tape out, and measure the distance from the edge of the mirror, to the dotted line, where a "lip" is ( you'll see what I mean once you look at it). It is only behind this "lip" where you want any holes drilled. So to drill a 1.5" hole, the center of it should be 0.75" away (further inside) from this edge of this "lip" itself.

STEP# 10
**Use my pics for reference, but don't trust them 100% (as I might have smeared my pencilwork a bit and am not 100% sure of that 2.25 measurement.
You need to determine and mark a desired and correct mark of the center of your 1.5" hole (to be).
Use masking tape, make your lines and marks. Use a new sharp drill bit. Practice on some junk plastic if you're not confident with your drill.
Remember that metal hole saws bite quickly in plastic.
Can't stress enough how the outcome of the drilling is totally up to your skill and abilities.
Drill your holes.
See where my holes ended up; just below a mount point bracket of one of the screws for the mirror.
It was interfering by 1/8" with the puddle light, so I simply took chunks of it off with pliers.
Other than this my "hole work" is completely fine.
**Once again - you are solely responsible for where and how you drill the 1.5" holes in your mirrors!

STEP# 11
Assuming that you measured right, and didn't drill right through the whole mirror itself, you can now remove the protective tape from the puddle lights' VHB tape , and mount/tape them in the holes (after connecting your wiring obviously, wherever you did it).
It should look like this (bonus shot in the same pics, of the light powered on).

STEP# 12 **Optional**
In step# 2 you saw how I ran 2x wires into my driver side door. This is b/c I wanted to have a separate switch controlling the puddle lights themselves, and have it mounted exactly here (for convenience). Thus, my driver side puddle light is connected to this switch, the passenger side light is also connected to this switch (both 12V+ for the lights go to 1 lead on the switch), and the second wire (red, in my case) goes all the way back to the passenger side foot well for 12V+ tap from the OEM truck wiring.
So, I can simply turn my mirror puddle lights OFF, if I want to ( and there are times when I don't want them ON, but I do want my rear cargo lights ON.....camping/buggy boat ramps/etc, primarily).
This step is fully optional and no one needs to do it, unless desired.
I used small (but nice quality) latching switch off Amazon, which also lights up blue, when on.

If you don't hate yourself right now for doing all of this, and hopefully having it come out right, well.....go kick a monkey, ride a pony, hug a child, drink a beer (or 12) and tell your wife/girlfriend you love her.
You're done!

(cont'd below)

 

End result below.
Pics taken at late dusk (wasn't pitch black yet at all), no flash.
Puddle lights both with parking light on and off; very bright, and exactly what I wanted.

Hope this post, despite how long it is, helps those considering doing the same thing, and gives you some guidance on how to make this work properly.

Good luck to everyone attempting this, and feel free to ask any Qs here.
...and if I didn't say it enough already: measure 100 times, cut once.

Good luck!
-99

 

Very nice, thanks for sharing and taking the time to post the details.

 

Looks awesome, but wow, hard pass for that much work! Miss them from my prior gen platinums, wish my 1794 had them stock

 

Awesome job, excellent write-up.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this! Can’t wait to give it a try

 

Thanks for detailed write up. I wonder if there is a way to tap to interior door panel lights on platinum model. I know when I get close to my tuck interior lights turn on by itself if I tap to it then it would do same for mirror lights. Maybe?

 

Yes, but no.
You don't want that connection.

Why?
When you drive at night and use your "mood lights," the mirror lights will be ON as well.
-99

 

I didn't realize that.

Thank you

 

“dropped my beer and pissed my pants when he said drill”

well done sir 99 !!!!

 

Thank you for the very detailed instructions. I have been wanting to add some LED projector lights with the Toyota logo to my Tundra. This might be the motivation I needed to do it.


https://aoonuauto.com/car-led-door-...Ih4YNb5qCo5fe4EtanR1cZE3aHAgX8joaAk-fEALw_wcB

 

they will add it on the refresh

 

These are different, and don't require anything related to work done in this guide (since these are just interior door lights, which activate only when the door is open).
Buy and replace the door lights at your leisure, if you want to advertise Toyota on the pavement surface for anyone who still can't tell from the 100 other logos/stamps that you are in fact driving a Toyota.


(I replaced my door lights with red LEDs, as I don't like all the bugs flying to my interior when a door is opened on a summer night, at a camp ground or "buggy" boat ramp).
-99

 

Nice job OP

 

never notice on my 2018 so we dont really miss it on the 2023.

 

thats dedication to the cause, folks.

good job on the write up. Hadnt noticed we dont have puddle lights...had them on my 05 Silverado.

Tell me more about the protecto wrap, does it help sound deaden? never seen it used outside of construction but I guess it makes sense...butyl and backing is all it is

 

The MY2021 and prior OEM puddle lights were "basic" and not overly bright to begin with.
Many of us replaced them with VLED units, which were much brighter...and definitely noticeable.

Install or not, free country and your choice.

 

Yup, that's all it really is (some use dedicated "sound system products" which are really the same thing, but more expensive.
I didn't go crazy with it here, but in my prior vehicle(s) where I plastered the doors in sound deadening and then sound proofing materials on top, there was a noticeable difference in how much less noisy it was afterwards. This also helps in high(er) power speaker/amp installations, preventing door/panels from rattling when the speakers hit.

I don't really notice any difference here (perhaps a tighter "thump" when I close the door), as I didn't change the speakers nor added any amp power.
...but I had the doors open, had some left over material, so figured "why not."
-99

 

i thought about replacing the lights with brighter leds but forgot about it and over the years the puddle lights just faded from being noticed anymore.

thought about the door logo projectors but after a month or so, meh

 

Hah. Yes, just like anything else, we get used to it after a while and like you wrote perhaps not even notice after a while anymore.

 

at its price point, i might have to pick up a roll to do the floor on the truck. Ive fully covered my last 2 trucks with butyl based products and CCF...its amazing how quiet it gets but then you notice wind noise a lot more!

question on step 10. Was your intent to center the light placement under the mirror, looks pretty much centered? I have a Platinum with those cameras down there too. Have you checked to see if the lights wash out the image at night?

 

Long time ago I stripped my wife's 2005 4Runner and did the entire truck in sound deadening+ sound proofing materials. 2 amps+full speaker and woofer job.
It was amazingly quiet, and sound system was amazing.
........I was young and determined back then! No way in hell I'm doing that kind of a job again.

In Step# 10 the intent is to have the puddle light mounted in the most "flat" section of the mirror frame. It's curved and there is little wiggle room as to where the light will sit flat, without having its lip stick out (due to mirror's curvature).
I chose what I considered the flattest spot. Not intended to "center it" to anything otherwise, really.

That little cover with the mirror's camera is not a good place in my opinion. When you look at it, note how it curves upwards toward the front of the truck. If you mount your light there it will shine up+forward. Aside from this, that cover is held in place by very small tabs, and comes out ohh so easily.
Not in the mood to have it get much heavier, and come undone while driving over bumps/etc (heck, some ppl have theirs come loose even on OEM brand new trucks, for no apparent reason). Also, I want the light moved as far away from the door itself as possible.

Haven't checked how the light affects the video image of the mirror cams at night (will take a look tonight and report back).
-99

Note:
Sound "deadening" butyl/etc mats do little in respect of "sound proofing" and only really help reduce how the noises/hits sound. With a rubbery membrane over a panel it doesn't vibrate and reverb as it would w/o it, but noise still travels.
This is why in the sound world we use(d) butyl mats first, then glued on closed cell foam pads for real "sound proofing." The foam pads are really what minimize the noise itself. This is how it was done some years ago, although I assume little has changed in that aspect.
...and talk about a tedious job, lol - sound "proofing" a vehicle will really test your patience and dedication!

 

@99ways2die
I have a slightly related project and thinking you may possibly be able to help since you had to add wiring to the mirrors... I installed new side mirrors with turn signals to my SR5. I thought they were completely plug n play, but the turn signals do not work. I assume I need to tap into the turn signal wiring somewhere and run it to my mirrors. I've studied the wiring diagrams and it's hard to make sense of it. Do you have any idea if there is somewhere in the passenger footwell or elsewhere that I could access the turn signal wires? Thanks

 

Sorry, but I have put zero research into SR5 wiring/etc..
Can you figure out which wire(s) feeds the turn signal in your headlight (I assume it's not CAN-BUS driven), and let me/us know here?
We can look though diagrams and connectors then and see if we can trace it back to inside the cab.