# Need help with brake lights

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** explorer, brakes, ford, lights\
**Created:** [September 21, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938 "2009-09-21T14:51:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![campinghippie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@campinghippie](https://community.cartalk.com/u/campinghippie)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938/1 "2009-09-21T14:51:58Z")

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sometime during the night my brake lights came on. I have a 94 ford explorer. I tapped the brake, nothing…I took every fuse out, still on…I fiddled with the button at the top of the brakes and still nothing. I have no idea what happened or what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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**Author:** ![bennyandthejets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@bennyandthejets](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bennyandthejets)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938/2 "2009-09-21T16:23:49Z")

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Does the car have a brake control valve? You have something telling the brake lights to stay on. Unplug the connector going to the “button at the top of the brakes”. If you do that and they still stay on, you have a more serious wiring problem. If that turns the lights off, you have a bad brake light switch.

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**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938/3 "2009-09-21T16:40:44Z")

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It sounds like the brake switch is being bypassed somehow and power is getting to the lights. Do you have a trailer hitch plug. If so check the wiring to it for a bridged connection to power.

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**Author:** ![campinghippie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@campinghippie](https://community.cartalk.com/u/campinghippie)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938/4 "2009-09-21T18:29:33Z")

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Thanks for the help. It actually was my trailer hitch plug. It has been hanging and had corrosion in the plug. It rained last night and I think that might have had something to do with it. I ended up just cutting the wires and then wrapping them up in electrical tape and that did the job.

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**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/need-help-with-brake-lights/36938/5 "2009-09-22T00:21:03Z")

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You’re welcome for the help and thanks for the feedback. Glad you fixed the trouble. The rain most certainly did have a factor in this. It allowed a lower resistace to occur along with the corrosion.