Need help...brake lights not working
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 62
Likes: 8
From: Denham Springs LA
Need help...brake lights not working
My brake lights are not working on my '01 coupe. The third brake light does work as well as the running lights and signal lights (only the brake lights don't work). I occasionally have an issue with the signal lights not working, but manipulating the hazard switch makes them work. This trick has no effect on the brake lights however. Is there an easy way to troubleshoot before I attempt to replace the brake switch? Thanks for any help.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,650
Likes: 2
From: Bakersfield Ca
I assume you have checked the break light bulbs? If the third break light works, then it seems to me that the break switch is good. Have you done any mods to the break lights, like changing the bulbs to LEDs? Not sure what else you could check.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 62
Likes: 8
From: Denham Springs LA
The third brake light is from a different switch. All other functions are working except the brake lights. I checked the fuse, OK. The hazard switch does sometimes have to be manipulated to make the turn signals work, but this has no effect on making the brake lights work. Would a faulty hazard switch cause the brake lights not to work?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,682
Likes: 144
From: Memphis Tennessee
The third brake light is from a different switch. All other functions are working except the brake lights. I checked the fuse, OK. The hazard switch does sometimes have to be manipulated to make the turn signals work, but this has no effect on making the brake lights work. Would a faulty hazard switch cause the brake lights not to work?
I heard some really interesting stories about this busy, hard-to-replace switch.
Good Luck
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,383
Likes: 13
From: Kinston North Carolina
If the center brake lamp is working correctly, the brake lamp switch is good. 12V power to the center lamp is fed directly from the brake lamp switch. 12V power to the other brake lamps is fed from the same brake lamp switch, through the hazard lamp switch, through the multifunction switch, then to the brake lamps. If both sides quit at the same time, the first suspect would be the hazard lamp switch. If one side works and one side dosn't, first suspect would be multifunction switch. This is my opinion while I'm looking at the '02 service manual. Soooo---, we just hope I'm reading it correctly. Other opinions are welcome, so I don't have to take all responsibility if I got it wrong! HTH BH
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 62
Likes: 8
From: Denham Springs LA
Thats good info. I had read in an earlier thread that the brake light function does go through the hazard switch, and since I am having some issues with the hazard switch (I sometimes have to manipulate it to make the turn signals work), I thought this may be related to the brake lights no working. There are several threads on this, but none seem to be detailed enough to help me troubleshoot this problem. There is a very detailed thread on changing the hazard switch, so I will change this first and see if it has any bearing on the brake lights.
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