1989 Corolla brake lights stay ON

BILLFX862

MEMBER
1989 TOYOTA COROLLA

I have a 1989 Corolla LE 4dr sedan with 129,500 miles. The engine is the 1.6L with auto trans, a/c, etc. No cruise control.
3 days ago the brake lights stayed on when I turned the ignition off. I pulled every fuse out I could find (kick panel, under hood) to no avail. I finally pulled the plug from the stoplight switch. The next day I pulled the stoplight switch and bench tested it, it checked out fine. I reinstalled it and the brake lights stayed on. I took the switch out from the mounting bracket and held it in my hand and it worked fine. Once installed in position the brake lights stay on. I replaced the switch but the problem persists. I then checked the switch(s) for a short between the terminals and the body and found none.
What could be the problem?
Bill

2 Replies

TRG

MEMBER
11 POSTS

I had this same problem. Where the brake light switch plunger contacts the brake lever, there is a hole that is plugged by a plastic pop-in disk. This disk has probably broken and fallen out. You need to replace with a new disk or use something hard to cover the hole. I am using a magnet. It is the small blue disk you see in the picture. trg.