I have just recently started having an issue with my 2001 Chrysler Town and Country 3.8L. All three brake lights (top of lift gate and two side/rear) won’t turn on when pushing the brake. They will however light up when I turn on the headlights. Also the rear side windows quit working.
What I’ve done: Confirmed no blown fuses and ruled out bad bulbs.
when you turn on your headlights you are not seeing the brake lights your seeing your park lights.
first see if you have relay for your brakes lights it could be bad.
you could have a bad brake light switch. its behind your brake pedal. when you step on the brake pedal it pushes on the button on the switch to turn on your brake lights.
or you could have a break in the wiring somewhere or a bad ground.
I don’t know if Chrysler was using their TIPM in 2001, but if they were, this sounds like yet another case of a failed Chrysler TIPM.
Your T&C has an electrical component called a TIPM.
Your vehicle isn’t listed, but anytime there’s an electrical problem with a Chrysler vehicle with this module, that’s the first suspect.
Tester
The Fuse box cover says “IPM Fuse and Relay Center”. Is the IPM the same thing as the TIPM? What happens to the TIPM? Corrosion?
What this guy is removing is what I have:
Do the rear turn signals work ?
Yes. They both work.
The title was supposd to read “No Brake Lights, No Rear Side Windows”
Beyond what you’ve already done OP, trying to figure this out by guessing what to replace is probably not going to work very well. You need an auto-electrics technician who knows how to trace circuitry using the car’s circuit diagram, point to point, to narrow it down. This problem does seem likely to be associated with the TIPM, so if you want to try replacing something anyway, roll the dice if you will, you could try that.
Check for power to the sockets and test the brake light switch before replacing power modules.
BTW, the IPM is different than a TIPM, the IPM has a removable Front Control Module.
The only thing for the Stop Lamp is a 20A fuse and it’s good. The power rear windows aren’t working either so it may be a problem linking these two?
Yup… such as the previously-mentioned TIPM.
The power module supplies power to the master window switch, if the front windows are operating, the vent window problem is not with the IPM.
Those vent window motors become weak, try rotating the shaft while someone holds the switch.
Front windows work. I did hear a whining noise when trying to operate the vent windows the other day, but no movement.
I think the windows and the brake lights are separate problems.
The front control module powers the brake light bulbs except for the center high mounted brake light, that is direct from the brake light switch.
You need to check for power to the bulbs and the brake light switch.
I replaced the brake light switch and it didn’t solve the problem. I’ll get someone to look for broken wires next. If that fails, I’ll remove the IPM and clean it really well.
It turns out that ALL brake light bulbs had blown (I assume at the same time). The rear windows still don’t function, but the stop lights now work.
Or, much more likely, you didn’t notice when the first one burned out.