My brother has a 96 Grand Am SE. His gage cluster lights don't work. His electric door lock switches don't light up. It doesn't light up around the automatic shifter. Or around where the temperature controls are at. Everything else works dome light, park lights, fog lights, head lights, signals, break lights etc. We checked the fuse it was bad. We put a new one in and the lights flashed on for a second and went off. But it didn't blow the new fuse. Any ideas?

Check the wiring for shorts, loose connections, or any other damage. Look first in the area under the steering wheel and near the fuse box.

did they all go out at once?

welcome to AF Jayclark.

Has he/you checked the light bulbs in the cluster ?

Could also be a bad cluster.
Several years had problems with them crapping out.

just something to check :D

good hunting