# 2003 Ford Focus High mount brake/stop light

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-ford-focus-high-mount-brake-stop-light/16883>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** focus, lights\
**Created:** [July 18, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-ford-focus-high-mount-brake-stop-light/16883 "2008-07-18T17:48:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sammey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@sammey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sammey)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-ford-focus-high-mount-brake-stop-light/16883/1 "2008-07-18T17:48:39Z")

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Gentlemen:  
  
  
  
 The high mount brake light on my 2003 Ford Focus doesn’t work. There is no power to the unit. The unit has a black wire (ground) and a green/yellow wire (hot). The hot wire is attached to the brake light switch on the brake pedal.  
  
  
  
 I checked for continuity on the hot wire by checking at the switch and at the light. No continuity. However, when I ran a separate wire from the brake light switch (green/yellow wire) to the light (green/yellow wire) the light stayed on all the time - effectively bypassing the switch.  
  
  
  
 It doesn’t seem likely that the hot wire is broken some place because as far as I can see the hot wire is pretty secure. Is there something else in the circuit? Any ideas? How can there be no continuity on the hot wire and yet when I run a duplicate wire there is power but the switch is bypassed?

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**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-ford-focus-high-mount-brake-stop-light/16883/2 "2008-07-18T18:22:38Z")

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You connected to the wrong side of the brake light switch. You need the other terminal.

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**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-ford-focus-high-mount-brake-stop-light/16883/3 "2008-07-18T18:56:23Z")

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You are assuming that a power wire goes straight to the high mount brake light, like the lower brake lights. This isn’t necessarily correct. I can’t bring up a brake wiring diagram from my usual sources, but, your high mount brake lights may have a module between the brake light switch and the high mount brake light. The repair manual usually has the wiring diagram. You got one? The public library may have one. Ask a librarian.