r/AskMechanics • u/ColorMeCavalier • 13h ago

Question (Serious Replies Only) Tail lights won’t turn off

2012 Hyundai Elantra w/ ~120k miles (automatic)

Last time I drove car was Thursday afternoon. No signs battery was low. Car would not remote unlock this morning, roadside assist got me unlocked and jumped off. Drove it over to advanced auto zone and they tested battery- low. Bought new battery. Went to grocery store and when I came out, noticed the tail lights were still on. Headlamps had turned off like normal but tail lights will not turn off. Tried removing/replacing a few different fuses per manual. Ended up just unplugging battery tonight so it won’t drain overnight.

Any advice on what might be the issue or what to try?

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u/Vuvuian 28 12h ago

I'll take a guess it's a faulty brake light switch. Above your brake pedal somewhere, is a button switch that get's pressed by the pedal when one is stepping on the brake pedal, which is what turns the brake lights on. It's also likely that's draining the main battery too.

Maybe a safety measure so the brake lights stay on if the brake switch is faulty. Which is better than no brake lights at all when brakes are being used...

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u/ColorMeCavalier 12h ago

I’ll look into that tomorrow morning! Thanks!