If you're planning to add a truck cap, topper, or camper shell to your 4th Gen Toyota Tacoma, there's a critical wiring issue that most installers won't tell you about. As shown in the thumbnail above, our Tacoma Trailhunter build with the OPENROAD bed cap installed reveals exactly why this matters—and how to fix it properly without cutting into your factory wiring harness.
The Hidden Problem: Blocked Cameras and Disconnected Lighting
Toyota engineers placed both the Digital Rearview Mirror (DRV) camera and the bed/cargo view camera in the factory third-brake-light housing on 4th Gen Tacomas. This location works perfectly—until you install a bed cap. Once the cap goes on, several problems emerge simultaneously:
- The digital rearview mirror camera now stares directly into the back of the cap instead of showing the road behind you
- The bed camera view gets blocked by powder-coated steel, rendering it useless for backing up or monitoring cargo
- The cap's own third brake light has no power connection
- The cap's interior lighting system needs a power source that doesn't exist yet
These aren't minor inconveniences—for overlanders and daily drivers who rely on these safety features, losing rearview camera functionality is a genuine safety concern.
The Solution: Camera Relocation Without Cutting Factory Wiring
Rather than hacking into the factory brake-light harness (which can void warranties and create reliability issues), this build uses a donor camera strategy combined with purpose-built relocation hardware from GG OFFROAD.
The Donor Camera Approach
Instead of trying to relocate the factory cameras (which are integrated into the OEM third-brake-light assembly), this method sources a second complete camera set from a donor third-brake-light assembly. This keeps your original Toyota camera assembly completely intact and functional as a backup, while giving you a dedicated camera set to relocate to a position where the cap won't block the view.
Toyota OEM Part Numbers for the Donor Assembly
- 86790-AK060 — Bed / cargo view camera
- 867C0-AK010 — DRV / digital rearview mirror camera
- 81935-AK030 — Center High Mount Stop Light Wiring Harness
- 81006-AK030 — Complete 3rd Brake Light Assembly (includes all components above)
Pro tip: Sourcing the complete assembly from eBay or a junkyard is significantly more cost-effective than buying individual Toyota parts.
GG OFFROAD Camera Relocation Kit
The heart of this solution is the GG OFFROAD Digital Rearview Camera Relocation Kit, specifically engineered for Toyota Tacoma applications. This kit provides the harnesses needed to relocate both the DRV and bed cameras to a functional position beneath or around the cap installation, restoring full camera functionality that would otherwise be lost.
Solving the Brake Light and Lighting Integration
Beyond the camera issue, this build tackles two additional electrical challenges: powering the cap's third brake light and providing power for cap dome/cargo lighting.
Brake Light Wiring Tap Cable
The GG OFFROAD Brake Light Wiring Tap Cable is the key component here. This inline tap allows you to integrate the cap's third brake light into the factory brake-light circuit without splicing or cutting into the original Tacoma wiring harness—preserving the integrity of your factory electrical system.
Repurposing the Cargo-Light Signal
For dome/cargo lighting inside the cap, this build cleverly taps into the factory cargo-light signal, giving the cap's interior lighting a reliable power source that's already designed for this type of load.
The Reversible Wiring Strategy: Deutsch-Style Quick Disconnects
One of the most valuable takeaways from this build is the emphasis on reversibility. Rather than permanently wiring the cap into the truck's electrical system, this installation uses weather-resistant Deutsch-style quick disconnect connectors for:
- Brake-light circuit
- Cargo-light/dome-light circuit
- Ground circuit
This means the entire bed cap—electronics and all—can be removed and reinstalled without ever cutting a wire. For Tacoma owners who swap between a bare bed for off-road trips and a capped bed for daily driving or storage, this is a massive quality-of-life improvement.
Tools and Materials Needed
To replicate this installation, you'll want to have the following on hand:
- Rubber Grommet Kit for clean wire pass-throughs
- Deutsch Connectors for the quick-disconnect system
- Small Electrical Box to house connections
- 10mm Deep Socket for headliner and trim removal
- Automotive Sealant to weatherproof entry points
- Cable Wire Clips for secure routing
- Hole Saw Kit if new pass-throughs are needed
- Zip Ties for harness management
- Mini Heat Gun for heat-shrink tubing on wire connections
An electric ratchet, ratchet and socket set, and trim removal tools will also make the headliner and interior panel work significantly easier.
Step-by-Step Installation Overview
The full video walks through the entire process in detail, but here's the general workflow:
- Access the headliner and wiring — Remove interior trim panels to expose the factory third-brake-light wiring and camera connections
- Route and secure the harness — Run the GG OFFROAD relocation harness from the factory location to the new donor camera mounting position
- Integrate the brake light tap — Install the inline Brake Light Wiring Tap Cable to power the cap's third brake light
- Connect cargo lighting — Tap the factory cargo-light signal for cap dome lighting
- Install the Deutsch-style disconnects — Set up the removable connection points for brake light, dome light, and ground
- Finalize camera mounts — Secure the donor cameras in their new relocated position with proper cable labeling
- Test everything — Verify the digital rearview mirror feed, bed/cargo camera, third brake light, and dome lighting all function correctly
Testing the Finished Installation
After completing the wiring integration, this build confirms functionality across every system: the digital rearview-mirror camera displays a clear view again, the bed/cargo camera shows the actual cargo area instead of the cap's interior steel, the OPENROAD cap's third brake light illuminates properly with traffic braking, and the dome light activates as expected. Every connection point remains fully reversible thanks to the Deutsch-style quick disconnects.
Why This Matters for the Tacoma Overlanding Community
As more 4th Gen Tacoma owners add bed caps, campers, and toppers for overlanding builds, this camera-blocking issue is going to become increasingly common. Rather than losing critical safety features or resorting to permanent wiring modifications, this GG OFFROAD-based solution offers a professional, reversible, and warranty-friendly approach that respects the factory electrical system while fully restoring functionality.
Whether you're running a Trailhunter trim, a TRD Pro, or any 4th Gen Tacoma build, if a truck cap is in your future, this wiring strategy deserves serious consideration before you ever bolt that cap down.
Where to Get the Parts
You can find the camera relocation kit and brake light wiring tap cable directly through GG OFFROAD, along with a 10% discount using code SMOKYMTNTACO at checkout.
