Interior fuse box shorted - mechanic says replacement needed but back ordered?

Having problem in my 2008 TRD Sport. Interior shifter lights and tail lights initially weren’t working. Tried replacing 10A fuse in interior fuse box by drivers side and the fuses blew immediately. Got an electrical mechanic who tested everything to see what was grounded and says he thinks it’s a short Inside the fuse box. Tried finding a replacement one from Toyota but it’s a $1200 part and 6 month back ordered. Said he will look for other used ones but they may be shorted too. Anyone have advice on best thing to do here? It’s old but she still runs great Hate to have to call it quits because of some wiring issue. ‍♂️

 

I would be really surprised if it was really a short internal to the junction box but I suppose it's possible.

The TAIL Fuse feeds all the exterior tail lights, licence plate lights, and all of the interior illumination backlighting, so it would be really easy to miss something if you didn't do the right testing.

Do you have a towing converter harness? Those are notorious for shorting out.

Aftermarket radios are the next biggest cause if they aren't wired correctly.

If it does really end up needing one it shouldn't be too hard to find a used one, looks like they are relatively inexpensive.
https://www.hollanderparts.com/used...box-cabin/663.to1808-alternate-fuse-box-cabin

 

I'd go with Dm93 on this. Most likely a wiring issue than the fuse panel.

 

OP not saying this is what happened in your case but you can kind of go through the video for ideas on how to troubleshoot your current issue.

https://youtu.be/FPKN25EpN6s?si=1FsOK7uk-6MdX3Xb

 

3rd Gen relay panel (junction block) do not share the 2nd Gen ECU/Relay/fuse box internals.