I have a 1997 Jetta and my brake lights stay on

fuse box in stearing column

Hi James, Check all the fuses and in particular the connection cables to the battery. The circuits you have mentioned are auxiliary to the starter and operate through relays. One of those is a main relay and that is where I would check. Regards John

check your emegency brake to insure that is is off. pull the emergency brake release to insure the e-brakes released. you may need to pull the e-brake handle and at same time handle is pulled,w/left foot lift up on the e-brake pedal.the headlights[or running lights] come on automatic when the cars running,unless!!! the emergency brake is on.if the emergency brake is on,the headlights,or running lights will not work. check this please! thank you for choosing fixya.com!

put your e- brake down when its pulled up even a little the lights go out to save the battery while the key is on during diagnostics

I fixed mine!! First check your ebrake switch by starting your vw and putting the ebrake on. If your daytime running lights stay on when the ebrake is engaged, its NOT the switch. Stay with me here. Turn vw off and pull fuse number 5. Mine was blown, but the legend only shows a pic of a book with an exclamation point. Meaning the book will tell you what it is, BUT IT DOESN'T . I replaced the 7.5 amp fuse and voila, victory. If it is not number 5, pull every fuse one at a time and inspect them closely. Do not assume, check each one. That is how I found mine after I bought and replaced the $10 switch. Running lights stay on because the switch is not being acknowledged, not because it is bad. I searched every forum I could find on this and there were no answers to this problem anywhere. So I am posting so there is an answer out there. What put me on the right track was the running lights staying on when the ebrake was engaged after I put in the new switch.

most likely bad turn signal switch

hope this helps. if u have any other questions just let me know




Fuse locations for options not shown can be found in the corresponding wiring diagrams.
Amp.


1 - Headlight, Low Beam, Left (56b) 10
2 - Headlight, Low Beam, Right (56b) 10
3 - License Plate Lights (5 10
4 - Rear Window Wiper And Washer System 15
5 - Windshield Wiper/Washer 15
6 - Fresh Air Blower, A/C (X) 20
7 - Tail Lights, Right (58R) 10
8 - Tail Lights, Left (58L) 10
9 - Rear Window Defogger 20
10 - Fog Lights 15
11 - Headlight, High Beam, Left (56a) 10
12 - Headlight, High Beam, Right (56a) 10
13 - Horn (15) 10
14 - Back-Up Lights 10
15 - Engine Electronics (15) 10
16 - Power Sunroof, Front Map/Reading Light 15
17 - Emergency Flashers (15) 10
18 - Fuel Pump (FP), Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S)
Control Module 20
19 - Coolant Fan, A/C Relay (30) 30
20 - Brake Lights (30) 10
21 - Interior Lights, Clock, Luggage Compartment
Light (30) 15
22 - Cigarette Lighter, Radio, Luggage Compartment
Release 10

Separate Fuses

(Located above the relays)



- Fuse for ABS hydraulic pump relay 30
- Fuse for ABS main relay 30
- Fuse for A/C 30
- Fuse for power windows 20
- Fuse for cruise control 5
- Fuse for cigarette lighter 15

Check the tail light bulbs, One may be shorted & feeding voltage to brake lights. Check sockets & wiring. Yes, the brake light switch is above the foot brake.

Only 2 things can cause this either the headlight switch or the headlight relay,chances are it's the switch,if you have a multimeter pull the relay out and probe the leads with the headlights in the off position you should only have power on 1 wire,with them on 2 wires are hot if this is the case then the relay is stuck,it's in the fuse box under the hood,another thing can cause this if the fog lights have been rewired to stay on even with highbeams on,power will feed back to the headlight circuit.

I had the same problem. The solution is simple; the ignition switch needs to be replaced. This is an easy do-it-yourself project. Here are instructions:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2532481
Check for a switch on ebay, they are about $15. After 10 years they wear out.