My car has been sitting under a car port with its cozy cover on for about two and a half months. Yesterday, my dad calls and tells me that my brake lights had come on for no reason at all and that he couldn't get them to turn off by fiddling with the brake pedal so he had to disconnect my battery.

What could cause this?
I'm no electrician, but do you think I could fix it myself?

 

Could be the brake switch... it is proly attached to the upper part of the brake pedal near the pushrod....

 

I can't be that, because the car wasn't on. The keys weren't even in the ignition.

 

its a ghost....jk, probably the activation switch on top of the brake pedal, it can activate the brake lights even though the car is off

 

Why would it just go bad while the car is just sitting? Do you think a low battery could have damaged it? My battery slowly drains.

 

Very strange... I second the ghost theory?

 

kinda like my computer and stero turning themselves on!!! I think it could be a g-g-g-g-ghost!!! Check the activation switch would be the first thing. I've had my alarm go off for no reason 2 times, but that is the closest on my car. good luck finding it (the cause, not a ghost).

 

Hopefully you dont got a creature in there chewing on your wired causing one of them to eventually ground...

BTW: How come its not being driven? Winter?

 

I'm 1500 miles away in NY . I have to go without the RX-itement for four months at a time!


My dad was thinking it was a rat, too. Damn, it hasn't even been a year since I removed the last rat's nest.

 

If the switch can be activated with the car off, which I thought it could, then gravity over time could pull the pedal slightly activating the switch, moving the booster cylinder and master cyl as well slightly(maybe the booster springs are worn out...?? and fluid level is low?) Just guessing.

 

I've seen it happen. Car sits for a long time then brake lights suddenly turn on.

All I did was adjust the brake light switch and everything was back to normal The light switch simply turns in or out, so anyone that can plug in a VCR can do it

 

In every car I have ever seen, the brake lights will come on even with the ignition off if you press the brake pedal. Try it sometime

Yeah, it's probably mice or something.

 

Yep, even Taurus drivers.

 

Yes, I will almost bet this is the case. I have seen it happen to one of the Audis I had. The switch was adjusted to where just the SLIGHTEST movement of the pedal activated the brake lights, and the pedal would creep down over time (this was a car I had bought for parts, it had a smashed left side that rendered it undrivable so it sat in the back yard awaiting cannabilizing) and the lights would come on.

 

That happened to me before too. My brakes were sort of stuck to the pads.

 

Brake fluid in the master cylinder leaking to the point of a "low level" light coming on???
just a thought......

 

Not in benz's

 

OK, well my dad, being the super dad that he is, went ahead and investigated the problem. He said that he replaced a 35 cent rubber washer that had rotted away and the brake lights now behave like they should.


Thanks for everyone's input.

 

Iv had my parking lights mysteriously come on and stay on twice now. The phenomenon only lasts for like a day at a time, but it has happened twice in 3 years. They just turn of on their own. Crazy ****.