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Q: Brake light switch continuously fails

asked by on October 30, 2016

My brake light switch has failed more than five times in the past few months. It always seems to fail when the car is parked in the driveway and it is raining but not every time it rains. There seems to be no apparent correlation between switch longevity and weather patterns. I hit a deer over a year ago and replaced the front clip myself but had no issue for about a year. I have been all over looking for shorted wires and have been unsuccessful. Help please!

My car has 136000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hello. You may want to check the connections at the terminal as it is not uncommon for these to get very hot and melt the plastic inside and corrode. This may also be a rusty ground which can also cause the switch to short out when too much power is drawn. If you need some extra guidance by an expert, a certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose your brake light problem and move forward with the appropriate repairs.

Toyota
electrical wiring
RAV4
2009
Brake Lights
L4-2.5L
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