Originally Posted by Old Red

I'm breaking one of my new rules in regards to this forum, but hopefully I can help sort this one out and avoid the dealer.

@Bugser is right. @dcjeeper , you need to trace the circuit.

Start at one end and work your way through each connection. I have attached the Interior Illumination Wiring Diagram for the dash lights for all the buttons and radio. The 7.A Panel fuse is the correct fuse for the dash illumination. Since it keeps blowing, there is most definitely a short. Whether or not the short is in the main wiring harness, or a component needs to be determined. Taking this to the dealer is going to be expensive to trouble shoot, and can be done yourself.

First, has any wiring modification been done to the vehicle? Adding switches, etc? This is important, because more than likely that is where the issue is located. If not, here is how I would go about trouble shooting. First and foremost, disconnect the battery while you pull things apart.

Based on the diagram every dash light is fed in parallel, (Green +) with everything grounding (Grey) at the instrument cluster. (There are chips in the cluster that drive the dimming circuit, so if you use the dimmer switch to dim the instrument cluster and it works fine, the problem is not there). You need to remove each component from the overall system to see which is the one causing the short. Some minor dash surgery is going to be required but should narrow it down.

Starting on the driver side, unplug the connector going to the heated wiper switch. To get to that, just pull the dash trim part with the mirror adjustment and dimmer switch straight out from the dash and reach behind the driver knee panel rather than remove it.

Next remove the heater panel, head unit, and if you have factory heated seats, the top center console cover so you can unplug those switches as well as the illumination for the shifter position light Also remove the security indicator light near the heater control panel ( Pull it straight out from the dash and unplug the connector). Reach behind the dash clock and unplug it. Remove the overhead console by removing the two bolts in the sunglass holder and then pull straight down. There is one connector for the whole overhead. Unplug each individual switch in the overhead console as well.

Note that you will not be able to unplug the glove box light, as that is crimped onto the harness. I doubt it is the issue. Now the only thing that is left on the main harness at this point will be the glove box light, and steering wheel switches. If you had a short in the clockspring circuit that feeds those switches, you would have other issues.

With everything unplugged from the main harness, reconnect the battery and turn your headlight switch to the park position. If the fuse blows instantly with nothing connected, the short is in the wiring for the main harness. If it doesn't blow, now we know it is a specific component, and we can add things back one by one until the fuse blows. When it does, that's the component that is bad.

Go test, and get back to us so that we know what is actually wrong.

-Old Red