Both brake lights and the high level brake light have stopped working. Wondered if it could be the brake pedal switch at fault as surely all 3 bulbs could not have gone at the same time? Has anybody ever replaced this switch and knows how much I could get one for??

Also my windscreen wipers stopped working yesterday (not a good couple of days for my Marea!!) , does anyone know possible causes apart from a knackered wiper motor??

Have you checked the fuses?

Yes it was the fuse for my wipers but not the brake lights, I think it must be that switch above the brake pedal?!?

Just pop the connector off the brake pedal switch and short out the two connections using a bit of wire, if the brake lights work it's a faulty switch unless, as sometimes happens, the switch has become dislodged. Good luck.

hi there

same think happened to me last night - kinda!

driving home and some one nearly went into the back of me as the lights had gone. i got home and found that the fog lights work, and the rear lights come on when the head lamps are on but no break light ( sorry, not sure what all this hi level break stuff means bit of a novice.)

i checked all the fuses and they seem fine and looked at the brake switch wich still had movement but cannot be sure if its this or two bulbs have gone at the same time.

what do you thinnk

sorry to hi jack your thread - oh car is a fiat punto

pearson27 said:

hi there

same think happened to me last night - kinda!

driving home and some one nearly went into the back of me as the lights had gone. i got home and found that the fog lights work, and the rear lights come on when the head lamps are on but no break light ( sorry, not sure what all this hi level break stuff means bit of a novice.)

i checked all the fuses and they seem fine and looked at the brake switch wich still had movement but cannot be sure if its this or two bulbs have gone at the same time.

what do you thinnk

sorry to hi jack your thread - oh car is a fiat punto

Click to expand...

How do you take the wires out of the switch once you have unclipped it. I've heard people saying to put them ogether but i can't get them out of the black block

pearson27 said:

How do you take the wires out of the switch once you have unclipped it. I've heard people saying to put them ogether but i can't get them out of the black block

Click to expand...

The switch maybe different from the Marea so might be best ask in the Punto section.

i think theyre all the same arent they. from what ive read and saw any how.

so any ideas?? was what i asked afterall!!

any ideas

It would be very unusual for all the brake light to fail at the same time, unless of course one failed some time ago and you did not notice it although the high level central brake light will still work most times.

Have a look and you will see that the wires down to the brake light switch enter a plug which is pushed into the back of the switch. the plug will pull out of the switch but there will be a little catch which you will have to depress to release it. Don't try to remove the wires individually from the plug. Once you have released the plug have a look into the end and you will probably see two female spade connectors, just short between the two with a couple of inches of wire and the brake lights should work. If they do then you need a new switch, just a few quid from any decent motor factor. Good luck

Thank you very much. Excellent reply.

Well stuck a wire in the switch but nothing happened. Sparks flew as the wire touched some metal. Off to try new bulbs

It is a very simple circuit, power comes down one of the wires on to the switch then through the switch when you press the brake pedal and on to one side of the brake light bulbs, the other side of the brake light bulb is connected to the chassis earth return so if the bulbs are good they will glow.

If you manage to short the power feed on to the brake light switch directly to earth (i.e. any bit of metal attached to the chassis or body of the car) you will get sparks as you will have a direct short circuit to earth rather than through the brake light bulbs which form the load in this circuit.

Just make sure that in doing that you have not blown the fuse or you will be trying to sort one fault having produced another with the same end result (no light).

Did the wire trick again with new bulbs and they lit up. So both the bulbs and the switch had gone. New switch today. Thanks for your help

Glad you got it sorted and pleased if I was some help..

The plot thickens.

Tried a new switch and im back to square one.

The bulbs are new and work. The new and old switch have been tried in another fiat and work fine and they have also been tested with a multi meter.

Could the brake pedal need adjusting as it could not be pushing the pin of the switch high enough? Or could it be more serious?

The plot thickens.

Tried a new switch and im back to square one.

The bulbs are new and work. The new and old switch have been tried in another fiat and work fine and they have also been tested with a multi meter.

Could the brake pedal need adjusting as it could not be pushing the pin of the switch high enough? Or could it be more serious?

If the brake lights work when you short between the two pins on the plug off the back of the brake light switch then that tells you that the whole brake light circuit is good. That only leaves the switch.
Most brake light switches work so that the plunger breaks the circuit when it is pushed in by the brake pedal when the brake pedal is NOT being depressed. When you depress the pedal it allows the plunger on the switch to be pushed out by an internal spring and make the circuit.
As far as I know there is no adjustment on the brake pedal so if the switch is the correct one and the bracket is not bent or broken it should work