If your brake light won't turn off, then you're dealing with one of the following six causes:
- Cause #1: damaged brake light switch
- Cause #2: brake pedal issues
- Cause#3: faulty wiring
- Cause #4: malfunctioning brake striker
- Cause #5: riding the brakes
- Cause #6 malfunctioning CAN bus system
Your vehicle’s braking system is one of the most critical systems you must always inspect. It has to do with your safety, and if anything goes wrong, chances are you will get involved in car accidents.
You have to implement many things to protect the braking system. Still, some common situations might indicate internal problems that differ from the regular maintenance you must implement.
One of the very common situations is when your brake light won't turn off. This could happen because of an internal problem that could be minor, but in some situations, it can be a critical situation that has to do with your safety.
To protect yourself and your loved ones, it is critical that you understand why your brake light won't turn off and familiarize yourself with the hidden problems that you need to fix immediately.
This article provides six common causes for your brake light not to turn off. Let's understand these causes and get some recommendations on what you need to do to inspect the issue and resolve the problem.
Why is it important to fix a brake light that won't turn off?
Before we dive into the details about the different causes behind brake lights that won't turn off, we need to understand why it is important that you fix the problem as soon as possible.
1. Prevent road problems
One of the first things that. The safety of other people driving around you should come to your mind when you are looking at your braking system. If you go back to the basics and learn about why the braking system has a light in the first place, you have a better idea of why you need to fix the slide immediately if it's not behaving as it should
This brake light allows other people driving around you to understand that you're slowing down or trying to stop. This way, they can adjust their driving speed and prevent dealing with car crashes that could impact their safety.
If this only communication tool is not working properly, the other people around you will be confused all the time, and this might cause some stress and potentially lead to car accidents.
2. Early sign of internal failure
In addition to protecting your safety from other people driving around you, this brake light might sometimes not turn off because of an internal problem. In other words, it could be a sign that you're braking system is about to fail.
That's why whenever you notice that your brake light won't turn off, you got to talk to your mechanic immediately or at least familiarize yourself with the different causes behind the problem so you can pinpoint the issue and resolve the problem as soon as possible.
3. Reduce repair costs
Once you've pinpointed the problem, you immediately need to fix it. This way, you can fix the problem without potentially needing to invest much money because, in most scenarios, you won't need to replace major components as long as you detect the problem early.
That's why whenever you see anything not behaving normally in your vehicle, talking to your mechanic helps you fix the problem without installing major components and reduces repair costs.
4. Extend the lifetime of your car
Once you keep up with the different components around your braking system, you will eventually extend the lifetime of your car. For example, if you can fix the braking light as soon as possible, you'll most likely avoid dealing with major complications that could cost you the entire vehicle. Also, you'll protect the braking system from further complications that will cost you much money.
Brake light won’t turn off column 6 causes.
Automotive experts understand how critical it is to keep up with your braking system. That's why they always publish recommendations on some potential problems behind very common abnormal behaviors of your braking system and other critical systems in your vehicle.
When your brake light won't turn off, then you're dealing with one of the following problems:
1. Cause #1: damaged brake light switch
The first and most common cause for your brake light that won't turn off is if you have a problem with the brake light switch itself. It might be surprising that this brake light switch might fail because it is a very common situation that can happen to anyone.
Therefore, before you panic and feel that the problem has to do with major complications, look at the brake light switch and ensure that it's in good condition. Your mechanic can help you do that, and the mechanic can also mention whether you need to replace this light switch.
How to fix the problem?
If you confirmed that the problem is due to the brake light switch, your mechanic said you’d need to replace that switch.
2. Cause #2: brake pedal issues
If you confirm that the brake light switch is not the issue, the next step is to look at the brake pedal. If the brake pedal is about to fail or doesn’t have enough thickness, it might cause a problem that could confuse the entire system and prevent your brake light from turning off.
How to fix the problem?
If the brake pedal is the issue, then the only solution is to replace it. Your mechanic might be able to do certain types of repairs to extend the lifetime of this brake pedal, but in most scenarios, you'll need to replace it.
3. Cause#3: faulty wiring
Did you know that sometimes simple wiring problems could lead to severe problems? Yes! People might often panic because of an internal issue, major components like the engine or the transmission, and sometimes the braking system. This problem is just related to simple small wire trouble.
Therefore, after checking your brake pedal and confirming that the brake switch is in good condition, the next step is to confirm that the wiring system is working properly.
How to fix the problem?
Once you're a mechanic who looks at the braking system and confirms that the wiring is the issue, you need to fix the faulty wire. Sometimes it can be tricky to identify which wire is causing the trouble, and that's why in most scenarios, you'll have to have a mechanic fix the issue for you.
4. Cause #4: malfunctioning brake striker
After confirming there is no issue with the electric system, the next step is to look at the brake striker. This is a very special component in your braking system that might be faulty.
The striker is not a very common component that everybody knows about, like the brake pedal, and that's why it's critical for you to familiarize yourself with one or two things about your vehicle at a time, so you stay calm.
How to fix the problem?
Your mechanic needs to determine whether the brake striker is in good condition. If the component is not working properly, then the only solution for you to get rid of it is to replace the faulty component, which is the striker in this case.
5. Cause #5: riding the brakes
Believe it or not, your driving style might sometimes impact your vehicle behavior. Yes! Many people who reached out to us wondering why their brake light won't turn off ended up reviewing their driving habits and confirmed that there wasn't any issue with the vehicle.
There is a very common habit that many drivers need to pay attention to, but it can lead to many severe issues. For example, suppose you're one of those who like to ride on the brake or keep your foot leaning on the brake while driving. In that case, you need to revisit this habit because it might lead to confusion in the driving style and cause potential problems for people driving around you.
How to fix the problem?
If your mechanic confirmed that you're bringing system is in good condition, and the issue has to do with your driving habits, then it's critical that you try to get rid of this problem as soon as possible.
Getting rid of the habit can be a bit hard and challenging when the habit is built already, but you need to work on it to avoid dealing with complications that might cost you your life.
6. Cause #6 malfunctioning CAN bus system
Finally, if you went through all the previous five causes and still have a problem with the brake light not turning off, then the CAN bus system is the last thing you want to check. This component might malfunction, causing your vehicle to get confused and not turn off the brake light.
Unfortunately, fixing problems related to the CAN system might need a certain level of mechanical skill sets here. That’s why it is one of those problems that you must have a mechanic look at and confirm that it's a faulty component.
How to fix the problem?
In that case, you need to resolve the problem by having your mechanic inspect the CAN system and confirm it's in good condition. Once your mechanic takes a look, he will immediately know of any potential internal problem. In that case, your solution for resolving this issue is immediately fixing the CAN system.
Since the CAN component is not very simple, sometimes repair costs might be slightly more expensive than any of the mentioned problems in this list. Therefore, before making any major repairs to this component, you must evaluate your situation and confirm that your vehicle is worth the repair.
For example, suppose your car has other major complications like those related to the engine or the transmission. In that case, you need to determine the total repair cost and then compare it to your vehicle value. If you get to a point where your vehicle value is close to the repair cost, then most automotive experts will recommend not fixing this vehicle and selling it instead.
Brake light won’t turn off: Final thoughts.
The braking system is a very critical component, and many things could go wrong in the system. Therefore, it is important for you as a driver to familiarize yourself with one or two things about this system to handle things you’re unfamiliar with.
A very common situation that might happen is when your brake light won't turn off without a clear reason. You might need to investigate six hidden reasons behind this problem to pinpoint the faulty component.
As we indicated earlier, while most of these causes should be repairable and won't cost you much, sometimes your problem could be extremely complicated and require money for repairs. In that case, you should evaluate the situation and see whether you want to fix this car or sell it instead and buy a better one.
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