2002 Hyundai Elantra… After driving home one night, stopped at the gas station and noticed that the brake lights were on while the car was off.
Drove home, and noticed that the brake lights were still on, even after the lights were turned off and the engine turned off.
When pressing down on the brake pedal, the central brake light (in the back window) does not turn on, and while driving, its as if the two taillight brake lights are always depressed.
I suggest that the brake light switch under the dashboard is stuck “on.” This could be due to a faulty switch or just a switch that’s out of adjustment. The brake light switch contacts the brake pedal arm when you step on the pedal.
This condition will drain your battery if not remedied, and is something of a safety issue, since you have no properly functioning brake lights. How is a person behind you to tell when you’re braking if the brake lights are always on?
The lack of a center brake light may indicate a burned out bulb.
I’d consider myself pretty handy at repairing vehicles… Worked on Honda, Volvo, Saturn and others… How easy do you think it would be to check this switch? What am I looking for?
You need to see if the switch is closed and passing voltage on to the lights. A test light probe would be a handy thing to use for that. You will most likely find the switch is bad or the brake pedal adjustment isn’t correct. The middle brake light may be burned out. If not there is a bad connection to it possibly.
I’d go ahead and try replacing the switch. It’s only about a $20 part. (Looked it up at Autozone) Should be simple to unplug old one and swap out. A '71 Comet would be a pain in the butt, though. 