When i turn on the headlights the dash lights do not turn on. The tail do not turn either but seem to come on when you put the car in drive with the head lights on.

SOURCE: dash and tail lights dont come when turning the switch

i got a 1998 ford taurus and my emergency light were not working since many days.i shown a mechanic for that problem , and he checked for that , and now the problem is side lights are not working.it was working well before , and now my mechanic says that turn light switch has to be replaced. and its quite expensive. any one have any comments to fix this or any other alternative ?....plz let me know.

SOURCE: No tail, running lights.

The socket for the headlite switch is bad or burned or deterioted due to heat. What happens that there is no good contact. You will have to replace the socket. The socket may not be available from the dealer. What you can do, just like what I did, check your socket design, go to a ford dealer and they have a book with all socket designs and identify the one you have. Get the manufacturer name and part number. With this information, go to Kragen and they will be able to order the socket for you. You will then have to cut the wires and attach the new socket.

SOURCE: dash lights do not turn on when turning on head lights

This is probably a blown fuse. Consult your owners manual for fuse locations. On todays cars, there is often an under the hood fuse location for engine controls and another location inside the passenger compartment for things like dashboards and tail lights. The light that comes on when you put it in drive is probably the brake light. It goes on when you step on the brake and shift into drive.