12 Easy Tips to Fix Brake Lights That is On
One essential component of a car is its brake lights, also called taillights. They work with a switch that activates the bulbs when you press the brake pedal. Brake lights let cars behind you know when you’re about to stop or slow down. But if they get stuck, they stop being a safety feature and could put you and other people in danger.
Most of the time, your brake lights stay on because of a faulty circuit, assembly, or a low brake fluid level. Some problems are easy to find and fix, while others are caused by parts that aren’t in good shape.
The following are common solutions for malfunctioning brake lights:
- Check for damage to the brake light switch
- Change burnt fuses
- Replace the brake light switch
- Maintain your brake pedal’s bumper
- Replace blown light bulbs
- Remove the car’s battery.
- Keep your brake pedal clean
- Make sure the brake pedal properly engages the switch
- Ensure that your brake sockets are clean.
- Do not undervalue your BCM
- Use enough brake fluid
- Disconnect your parking brake
This article lists the most common ways to fix brake lights. It also tells you how to change your bumper and brake light switch if you need to. This article will teach car owners how to take care of their car’s safety features so that they work properly. Read on to find out more.
Contents
How to Fix Brake Lights that Stay On
1. Check for damage to the brake light switch.
Before you work on your car’s electrical system, you should always unplug the battery to avoid getting shocked or causing damage. To do this, remove the cable and tuck it under the battery. Then, find the negative terminal and take it off. You can loosen the nut that holds the ground cable to the battery terminal with a hand or socket wrench. When you look for your brake pedal switch, disconnect the wiring pigtail, and check it for damage, you should wear eye protection. Don’t forget to test the switch’s return to ensure it works correctly.
- Change burnt fuses
Use your service manual to determine whether the fuse that needs to be replaced is in the fuse box under the hood or the one on the driver’s side of the cabin. Depending on the make and model of your car, you may need to remove parts of the interior trim to get to the fuse box, and you may need to examine different fuses for your brake light. If you don’t have a service manual, you can find diagrams and steps on the manufacturer’s website.
- Replace the brake light switch
The two-way brake light switch is usually marked and close to the brake pedal. This part of your car’s electrical system completes the circuit for the brake light and needs to be replaced if it is broken. Before removing the brake light switch, ensure the pigtail harness is detached and keep in a safe place safe. You will need to use the same harness later. You also need to take the brake switch off the link between the brake pedal and the switch. Don’t throw away the mounting hardware because you’ll need it to install the new switch. If you accidentally break the harness release, you can use tape to hold down the pigtail firmly while you put the harness back together.
- Maintain your brake pedal’s bumper
The brake light switch will turn on if the rubber bumper on top of the brake pedal assembly is worn down. The same will happen if a bumper is missing. Check the floorboard under the pedals for pieces of blue or yellow rubber to see if this is the reason your brake lights are stuck on. Seeing these crumbs proves that the problem is caused by a bumper that has worn down from heat and age. Replace missing bumpers as soon as possible.
- Replace blown light bulbs
A burned-out bulb is one of the most common things that can go wrong with brake lights. Your brake lights can be damaged by how often you pump your brakes while driving and by normal wear and tear. When this happens, one of two things will happen: the brake lights will either stay on or not work at all. If you have an older car and this happens to you, you may need to replace the brake light bulbs more often than if you have a newer car with LED lights. Also, check to see if your turn signals need to be replaced. This is for American car owners whose blinkers are part of the brake light circuit.
- Remove the car’s battery.
If the brake light on your car gets stuck or stops working, it will begin to drain the battery. When this happens, you can fix it temporarily by taking the battery out while the car is off. This not only stops the brake light from being stuck for now, but it also saves battery power for when you start the car after fixing the problem. Before you detach the negative battery terminal, ensure that the hood latch doesn’t have power. If your brake lights stay on even when the car is turned off, you should check the brakes as soon as possible.
- Keep your brake pedal clean
The brake light can also stay on or get stuck if the brake pedal is stuck or not closing the switch. It could be because the rubber stopper is broken or because there is dirt or corrosion in the brake switch and pedal. Ensure your brake pedal is clean and rust-free to stop this from happening. If cleaning doesn’t solve the problem, maybe professional service and maintenance will.
- Make sure the brake pedal properly engages the switch
Sometimes, a brake light issue might not be from the wiring. The brake light can get stuck if the brake pedal or switch is not correctly aligned. This is an easy fix; look under the dashboard above the brake pedal and trace the pedal arm up to the switch. The stoplight switch should be aligned with the arm and pushed to turn off the brake lights. If you see something different, change the brake switch so that it opens the connection. If that doesn’t work, you may have a broken spring, switch, or brake circuit wiring issue.
- Ensure that your brake sockets are clean.
Your socket can go bad if the connections are corroded or dirty or if the wiring is old and worn. This can cause the brake lights to stay on and the connection to be wonky. If you clean out those holes, your brake lights won’t get stuck. If cleaning the brake light sockets is no longer possible, you can replace them by cutting the worn wires and splicing them in the new unit. The brake socket is a cheap component and is easy to install.
- Do not undervalue your BCM
In newer cars, the BCM (Body Control Module) is connected to the wiring circuit (brake light switch) and the rear brake lights. The switch sends a ground signal to the BCM, which then turns on the power to the brake lights. The brake lights might not turn off if something is wrong with the BCM. On the other hand, older cars don’t have a BCM because the switch goes straight to the brake lights.
- Use enough brake fluid
Insufficient brake fluid affects how well your brakes work and how well your brake lights work. So, ensure you have enough brake fluid, so your brake lights don’t go crazy. Look for the brake fluid reservoir on the driver’s side of the cabin to see if this is the case. The level of the fluid should be between the maximum and minimum marks. If not, you should flush out the old brake fluid before putting in the new fluid.
- Disconnect your parking brake
Even though this doesn’t happen very often, your problem may just be that the parking brake is on. When you fully let go of the parking brake, the brake light will stop being stuck.
Now that you know why your brake light might be stuck, it will be easy to figure out where the problem is coming from and fix it.
How to Change a Brake Light Switch
If you test your brake light switch and it works, you may need to replace a switch that doesn’t work. To do this, you’ll need to:
- Unplug the switch for the brake light.
- Loosen the bolts that hold the switch in place and take it out (could be as many as 1-4 bolts depending on the vehicle).
- Use a wrench to loosen the adjustment nut from the mounting plate.
- Hand-unscrew the brake light switch that is screwed together.
- Press the locking tab and pull the wiring harness away from the brake light switch to disconnect it.
- Take out the broken switch and put in the new one.
- Connect the wiring harness to the new stoplight switch until the locking tab clicks into place.
- Use a ratchet and socket to tighten the adjustment nut and bolts.
- Test the brake lights by pressing and releasing the brake pedal a few times.
How to Replace a Brake Pedal Switch Bumper
The brake pedal switch bumper is another part of the brake assembly that is often at fault. Here are the steps to change it:
- First, you have to make a vacuum in the brake system. You can do this while the car is running.
- Use one hand to step on the brake.
- With your other hand, slide the brake light switch bumper up the brake pedal and feel around for the hole it should go in. Make sure that the bumper switch’s flat part faces the back of the car.
- Clean out the hole where the bumper goes to get rid of any debris left by the old switch stopper.
- The part of the switch bumper with the ridges should be pushed firmly into the hole until it clicks into place. If you have a universal bumper, you can make it fit by cutting a little bit of rubber off the flange.
- Use a flashlight to check that the switch stopper is flush against the metal plate.
- Release the brake once the bumper is in place, and the plunger should press against the new part.
- Test to see if the brake lights turn on and off by pressing and letting go of the brake pedal.
Conclusion
In summary, the following list includes 12 ways to fix brake lights that is stuck:
- Check for damage to the brake light switch
- Change burnt fuses
- Replace the brake light switch
- Maintain your brake pedal’s bumper
- Replace blown light bulbs
- Remove the car’s battery.
- Keep your brake pedal clean
- Make sure the brake pedal properly engages the switch
- Ensure that your brake sockets are clean.
- Do not undervalue your BCM
- Use enough brake fluid
- Disconnect your parking brake
The next time your brake light is stuck, I believe you will be able to solve the problem or at least be able to diagnose where the fault could be from. With this knowledge, you won’t have to pay mechanics hundreds of dollars to fix your car, and you won’t have to pay huge fines or get a ticket for broken brake lights. Most importantly, you won’t have to drive in dangerous conditions, which makes it less likely that you will cause or be in an accident.
