Do 2005 taillights fit on a 99?

[Saxwing1988]

Hey I got a 99ford ranger that I did a 2005 front end swap on and I was gonna get the 2005 tail lights ordered but wasn’t sure if they fit or work.

 

[4x4junkie]

The '05 lenses will physically fit the tail light openings on your bed, however your '99 has 3-bulb tails w/amber turn signals, whereas '05 is just 2-bulb.
I'd suggest you keep your 3-bulb tails from a safety standpoint because it is FAR easier & quicker to see an amber blinker in traffic vs. a red blinker that can easily blend into a sea of brake lights & tail lights (not sure why automakers (not just Ford) stupidly started moving away from amber signals around '00, but lately I've been seeing them slowly return, which is only a good thing).

 

[Dirtman]

The '05 lenses will physically fit the tail light openings on your bed, however your '99 has 3-bulb tails w/amber turn signals, whereas '05 is just 2-bulb.
I'd suggest you keep your 3-bulb tails from a safety standpoint because it is FAR easier & quicker to see an amber blinker in traffic vs. a red blinker that can easily blend into a sea of brake lights & tail lights (not sure why automakers (not just Ford) stupidly started moving away from amber signals around '00, but lately I've been seeing them slowly return, which is only a good thing).

There is a very good reason amber lights were no longer used on the rear of vehicles and it has to do with being able to determine the direction a vehicle is traveling in low visibility.

If your in the dark, and its foggy and you see white lights up ahead you can safely assume the vehicle is moving towards you since you are seeing headlights or backup lights. If you see red lights you can safely assume the vehicle is moving away from you since you are seeing tail lights. Same for the marker/turn lights, if the signal is orange the vehicle is facing you, if the signal is red the vehicle is facing away from you. If both front and rear turn signals are orange you can't tell which way the vehicle is facing.

 

[4x4junkie]

I don't think I've ever once questioned which way a vehicle is traveling based on it's turn signals (and I've driven in fog many many times in my 30+ years of driving)... If I see bright white + amber lights, I know a vehicle is facing toward me. If I see red lights (whether accompanied by an amber signal or not), then I know the vehicle is facing away from me (you should never see red lights on a vehicle facing toward you, unless it's an emergency vehicle).

Meanwhile, I've not noticed a red blinker until the 2nd or 3rd blink on more than one occasion, whereas an amber one is nearly always noticeable right away 1st blink.

 

[Dirtman]

Hey I'm just explaining the reasoning not the practical application.