MINI Cooper Forum banner

brake lights stuck on?

183K views 161 replies 55 participants last post by  Mladen Mihaljević 
#1 ·
hi, tonight, i parked my new mini cooper cab and got out, as i walked away, i noticed that the rear lights were still on, so i figured id left the side lights on, so i checked and they were off, no other lights were on, and the high level brake light was on too.

i pressed the brakes, and nothin changed, had to start the car and shut it off again to fix it...
:confused: :confused: :confused:
anyone else had similar problems?


thanks

tom.
 
#2 ·
Yep - a week after picking up my new ('05 model) MC I had exactly the same :eek: . Except restarting it didn't fix it. (I phoned the MINI dealer, but they couldn't get anyone who had an idea to talk to me until the next morning! :rolleyes: )

Eventually, the third time I restarted the car, drove round the block and switched it off again, they cleared... Really, really odd! :confused:

Hasn't happened since though, and I've now had it 7 weeks... Maybe it really has gone for good?! :red:
 
#4 ·
i've had this problems on my 04 cooper.

First noticed it when i was washing the car,that the braket lights were jammed on.

A few presses of the pedal was enough to turn them off, in all ive noticed this phenomenan about 4 times.

Havent taken it back yet, as it seems to happen at totally randon intervals.

:red:
 
#6 ·
Yep, happened to me too - seems like it is another "feature" of the revised model which they are keeping quiet!!
 
#7 ·
ok, im gonna have to ring up and have it looked at, it happend again tonight, but this time my side lights stayed on, all of em....

i was walkin away thinkin im sure i turned em off, went and looked and they were turned off, had to put the ignition on and back off again to get them off.

sucks.
must be software though, so fixable id imagine.

tom.
 
#11 ·
OK only chanced upon this - the brake pedal / lights work in a slightly wierd way on Coopers - firstly they work on a 'disconnect' basis there is a small 'slider' infront of the pedal which the pedal touches when you push the pedal down and disconnect from it the lights come on - it is conceivable that this has moved (been kicked by someone with big feet) and is set a lot close than it was to the pedal hence there is never a disconnection

Second possibility is common fault with the 'diode' that controls the rear brake lights - It is VERY delicate and in their wisdom BMW placed it under the carpet by the BC1 - If it breaks the lights think they are disconnected (as per pedal) and remain on - If it has a faulty connection (very easily done) it will be intermittent

Hope that helps

G
 
#13 ·
mibbe im talkin rubbish here tho'


ive also notived the 'headlight stayin on phemomenan'

but, im sure i remember hearin years ago, that a mini's headlights could stay on while you left the car and went into the house etc?

cos i noticed this on the upstairs landin in work recently, that the lights were left on, yet by the time i walked back down, they were off :confused:

can anybody shed any light on this? seein as the brake light problem seems to be quite common.

:) :red:
 
#15 ·
spf said:
It's something like flick the main beam when the engine is off and the lights stay on for a few minutes??
Yep, that's it exactly. Not sure how it does it, but guess it's software managed, so there may be potential for this to 'kick in' when not wanted? :confused:

Mine's not done it since that once, mind... Fingers crossed... :)

:red:
 
#16 · (Edited)
Just experienced the Stubborn Brake Light Phenomenon this Morning :rolleyes:
I suppose I was lucky in that after parking up, I had to get something out of the Boot and saw everything was on, or else I`d have come back to it to find a Flat Battery.
I tried prodding at the Brake pedal, thinking it might be a dodgy switch, to no avail.
I suspected it might be a Computer fault, & tried clearing it by restarting the engine which did the Trick.
Very Strange, & a tricky fault to remedy by its haphazard nature, as unless you`ve just parked up at a dealers when it happens, your not going to be able to demonstrate the fault to them :(

By the Way, mines an Aug 04 Build ... Is this fault just common with post-facelift cars as I cant remember this fault cropping up previously ??
 
#18 ·
I have at least one answer to this problem. When you get out and see lights (not the follow me home type lights) on, look around the entire car. Is one side lit up, or both?

I have found that if I turn the engine off while the turn signal is on, that the lights on the signal side (i.e., the direction my signal says I am turning) will stay on, sort of like they are in mid flash. Turning the car back on does not solve it, but simply turning off the turn signal does.

I am willing to bet that this is what happened to at least some of you. Obviously, driving around the block will solve the problem, as you pretty much have to turn off the signal to do that. SImilarly, by just starting the car you might unconsciously turn the signal off, and once again think you have solved the problem.

It had me completely mystified until I noticed that only one side was lit, and that got me paying attention when I started the motor, so I noticed the turn flashers were on, as were the tire well lights (which I guess may flash on turns as well).

The mystery, I guess, is whether this is by design, or just how it became a design flaw. Is there a reason to want these lights to stay on?
 
#19 ·
whovous said:
.....The mystery, I guess, is whether this is by design, or just how it became a design flaw. Is there a reason to want these lights to stay on?
The "One Side" Parking lights are by design, allowing just half the lighting power to be used to show your car up on dimly lit streets.

The Brake lights remaining on when the engine is off however is Definitley a Fault.
It is normally impossible for the Brake lights to come on when the ignition is Off, ..Try It !!
I tried for around an hour yesterday to simulate the fault by..
..Switching On & Off the Ignition with Foot Brake / Handbrake / Door Open-Closed / AC On -Off / Side- Head -Fogs On-Off ..All without success :(
...Hey it was a quiet Day
;)
 
#21 ·
The mystery, I guess, is whether this is by design, or just how it became a design flaw. Is there a reason to want these lights to stay on?
Yep - if you read the manual, this is a design feature, and most cars built since the mid '80s have done it in one way or another. It's useful if you're popping in to a shop and have left the car somewhere it might not be seen. ;)

As for the brake lights staying on phenomonen, definitely not the parking light system, as on mine at least, the high level third brake light was on, and that was what made me notice it. Wierd! :eek:

:red:
 
#23 ·
Lights on one side are seriously by design? I've gotta think this is an English thing, as I have never seen or heard of it in the States. To me, it seems simply another way to leave lights on by mistake. I do not really need help on that score!
 
#24 ·
whovous said:
Lights on one side are seriously by design? I've gotta think this is an English thing, as I have never seen or heard of it in the States. To me, it seems simply another way to leave lights on by mistake. I do not really need help on that score!

Yep thats right.

'Parking lights' have been a feature on most german cars now for many years here in the uk.

When I lived in Florida 10 years ago my Audi 5000 also had these 'parking lights'.

The idea is that you leave the offside trafficator illuminated when parked on the road at night...this way traffic can see the outside of your vehicle---its a very good idea and should be on all cars IMHO.

With regards the stuck on brake lights, I have a May 04 Cooper S and the brake lights have stuck on now a couple of times when I have parked up. Have to turn ignition on and then off again in order to turn off the brake lights. If it keeps happening then I will ask the dealer to fix it as I don't particularly want to keep checking the rear of the vehicle every time I park up. :mad:
 
#25 ·
me too

i also noticec my break lights staying on twice now in my 54 cooper cabriolet after switching off the car and locking it

only way to remedy is swith off and start the engine again.

not satisfactory, as one day i know i will have a flat battery

please if anyone gets a dealer fix for this obvios fault please let us and me know
 
#26 ·
dee said:
...please if anyone gets a dealer fix for this obvious fault please let us and me know
I called in the Dealers today to get a few things seen to :-
(G/Box Oil Level Recall, JCW Air Box mod :cool: ,& Stone removal from Front Ind` Lens :eek: ),
..and I also mentioned about the Brake light problem .
The technicians had actually come across it before, & replaced a Diode to fix it
..as previously mentioned by "Racer"
Racer said:
...Second possibility is common fault with the 'diode' that controls the rear brake lights - It is VERY delicate and in their wisdom BMW placed it under the carpet by the BC1 - If it breaks the lights think they are disconnected (as per pedal) and remain on - If it has a faulty connection (very easily done) it will be intermittent
So if anyones worried about it, mention the diode to your Dealer :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top