I woke up this morning and went into the garage when I noticed my tail lights were on on my car. I havent driven the car in 3 weeks, and I was in the garage the night before, and they werent on but this morning they were on, I tried turning the lights on and off, pressing on the brake pedal, and playing with the e-brake, and they stayed on, so I disconnected the battery until I figure out whats wrong. Is this a short somewhere and if so where could it be? I have '99 spec tail lights, and they have been in there for years, could there be something wrong with the wiring, and help would be gratly appreciated.
thanks

 

theres a plastic piece which breaks usually from age at the brake pedal. i'd check that first. happened once to me. i hate flat batteries.

 

Is it just the brake lights that are on, or just the taillights? If just the taillights, are the front parking lights on as well? If it's the brake lights, I would agree with fd3s7007, check the brake switch on the brake pedal, that's the likely culprit.

Ryan

 

yeah, its just the tail lights, well it looks that way anyway, the battery was low and may have caused them to dim if it were the brake lights. The parking lights are not on, and I turned them on and off to see if they would turn off and they didnt. no other light are on anywhere in the car though, and on the floor there were some pieces of plastic, a very small ammount yellowish white the kind of resembled a button or clip of some sort, when your switch broke was there any plastic pieces on the floor? and what exactly is the part called if you remember so I can order it, I looked under there the best I can but I couldnt really see anything broken or out of place.

 

well was the third (middle) brake light on? never seen just the rear come on for parking... loook closer at the pedal assembly . the brake switch needs to be depressed to turn the lights off.

 

"and on the floor there were some pieces of plastic, a very small ammount yellowish white the kind of resembled a button or clip of some sort, when your switch broke was there any plastic pieces on the floor?"

Thats exactly how i figured the part to be culprit.

 

Ressurecting an old thread here. Does anyone know the name of that little piece of plastic that goes on the brake pedal there that he is referring to? It's the thing that keeps the pin pushed down when you foot isn't on the break. I need to order one. Actually, could I just put something up there that would work instead?

 

Yes, mine broke and I replaced it with a piece of metal so I will not have the same issue a few years down the road.