Brake Lights Stuck On

Haven't posted in forever.. I still have my ZX2, with over 217k miles now..

Last week or so, my brake lights got stuck on. Even when I turned the headlights and the car on and off. I unplugged the battery for now.

I called and asked a mechanic. They told me it is probably the brake light switch and it would be under $100 to replace. I looked up the part online and found it for $30-40, so I'm wondering if I can switch it out myself. I once replaced a reverse light switch on my 3000gt and it wasn't hard: unplug the connector and unscrew the switch, replace and reconnect- but I don't know where the brake light switch is on my zx2. If anyone has some directions or photos to help out, please let me know.

Thanks!

On my 2nd gen, it is on the brake pedal. There is a good chance that is has just become misaligned. I had a Contour in the shop and they managed to kick the switch off the pedal. They typically are just clevis pinned onto the plunger rod.

My brake lights got stuck on last week. There is a rubber stopper that the switch sits against that came out and the switch was allowed to sit closer to the pedal thus leaving the lights on.

I looked down by the brake pedal and found 2-3 broken plastic blue pegs (looks like broken crayon pieces). I'm guess those are spacers that somehow kept the lights off. What are these and where can I get replacements? I read another thread that said someone taped up pennies as a temporary fix, but can't find that thread right now.. Thanks guys, y'all have got me on the right track.

I believe those are parts of the actual brake light switch I had a zx2 in the shop about a month ago with the same issue.

Its more than likely the rubber bumper on the brake pedal. When the pedal isn't pushed down, the pad contacts the brake switch.

You can purchase them at O'Reilys Auto Parts or your local Ford dealer.

Thank you, rascal. I'm trying to find out what the parts are called so I can replace them, but I also need to find out where they go. I think 3 broke, from the pieces picked off the carpet. Here's photos in case it helps:

(brake pedal)



(clutch pedal)


From the photos, it looks like a bumper is broken on each pedal. Is that what I need to ask for at O'Reilly: "rubber bumpers for the brake pedal"? I previously looked under "brake switch" and couldn't find anything. Thanks again!

Your welcome.

The part is usually located in the "Help" section of their store. Thats where they keep odds and ends of misc. parts for car and trucks. If you can, take one of the pads off and take it to O'Reilys for them to see in person. I have a Ford part # at my house just in case you need to contact a local dealer.

Here is the Ford part #

E7G2-7583-A

hey rascal,

thank you for identifying the problem - i have the same issue, and i'm glad i landed up at this forum where it has already been discussed. my stop-gap solution was sticking the remnants of that blue button together with masking tape and attaching it to the metal brake plate. not gonna last too long

i tried looking up that part number on the official ford parts website but it couldn't locate it. do you think it's easiest to just visit an autozone or something and ask them? any idea on how much it costs? thanks ...

UPDATE: I called autozone and just described the part to them, and they seem to have it.

I recently had the same problem with my '02. I used two 1/16" thick X 3/8" diameter earth magnets stacked on top of one another and it's working fine and should stay in place unless it takes an extremely hard jolt.

http://www.youtube.com/user/realfixesre ... vFq_aydwUs

this happened to my 97 ford escort will those bumpers work on mine ?

Yes they will work. You can get them at your local dealer.

went out and found them at my local dealer and installed it in like 5 seconds and its working great, thank you

My 95 wagon is doing the same thing, but the lights don't stay on when I turn the car off. Rather, the brake pedal acts as an ignition switch went he car is off. I press the pedal and my dash lights come on, dinging and all. Also, when I shut the ignition off and remove the key, if I keep my foot on the brake the engine keeps running until I let off. Ideas? Brake lights still stay on while I'm driving.

Superseded to part # E7GZ7583A...Bumper... $4.43 each out here. If dealer doesn't have in stock & the have to order, it would be a pack of 5...local dealer was able too see other dealers that did have them in stock.

Thanks for this info though. I picked up 2.

When this happens on a wagon, it is usually the wiring in the tail gate that is the cause. (My guess is that the brake light wire is shorting to the rear wiper wiring.)
The wires in the gate get pulled tight everytime the thing is opened and eventually the insulation will crack and expose the wires. The breaks usually happen in the rubber boot between the tail gate and the roof of the car.

The best way to fix this is to replace the harness but that is time consuming. The quick fix is the use some extra wire and a lot of butt connectors to cut and splice the wires back together.

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