Has any one had this problem?

Two mornings this week, I have gone out to the car and the brake lights have been on. Fortunately their was enough in the battery to start the car. A quick dab on the pedal and the lights go off andthe seem OK.

I am not convinced that I had missed the lights being on when I locked the car the previous night, has anyone else had this problem or heard about the brake lights coming on by themselves.

Paranoia is now setting in and I keep looking through the curtains to check the car. Excuse me just going again..............

Brake light switch?

Used to be an issue on a MKI octy and MKI fabia, and since the part is common to VAG it wouldn't surprise me if the MK II had a similar symptom from the switch going.

Hi, I thought that would be the case, but was not sure if it could be something wierd like the Canbus wiring or similar. Anyway it's still under warrenty, so back to the dealers......... again. Cheers

I had the same problem last year. It's a dodgy switch - known problem. Dealer fixed it (under warranty) while I waited.

I have the same problem with the high level brake light staying on all the time, been to dealer this morning, parts on order.

Same here, dealer replaced the switch.

I know this might sound daft, but what switch?my high level brake light remainded on even when the ignition off & car locked, but open the tailgate & light went out.

Dealer says this happens as it runs through central locking!!they have ordered electric tailgate handle & the striker assembly as they convinced its one or the other.

All electrics in the tailgate are deactivated when the tailgate is opened. (your rear wiper will stop and the washer wont work).

Do all the brake lights stay on?

No, only the high level brake light stays on, main brake lights are fine.

Hi,

This is happening to me, been out to the car (always on a v cold morning) to find the brake lights, incl high level brake light on. They were not on when I went to bed the night before. I have to unlock the car and press the brake pedal to get them to go off.

Annoyingly three times of the four the battery has been completely flat and the car won't start.

It's been into the dealers where they can't replicate the problem, so sent me home to see if it happens again. Has the RAC out this morning, as well as the brake lights coming on in the middle of last night the alarm decided to join in at 05.00. Couldn't unlock the car with the buttons as everything was completely dead.

I can't get it back to the dealers till next Friday, is there a quick way they can check the switch as they don't have a hire car for me and I'll have to sit there waiting with my 1 year old.

I have an 06 2.0 TDI Octavia.

Collected car in the week after various parts replaced & same problem, car booked in next week.

Not impressed with Pilling Skoda Milton Keynes.

High level only staying on is a different problem to all brake lights staying on which is caused by (I believe) the actual switch on the brake pedal going faulty.

Only having the high level stay on is a different kettle of fish which I haven't noticed being reported on here until now.

OK, collected car & all sorted, I did complain to dealer that there was water in the boot, they investigated, the rear washer although working was leaking into the electrics & this caused the high level brake light to remain on all the time, only took the dealer 3 attempts to fix.

Hi. Has anyone had this problem recently? My rear brake lights (not sure what high level brake lights means) are coming on in the middle of the night and if I don't see in time the battery is going flat. The garage can't work out what's wrong. They did a diagnostic and found that the horn alarm isn't working and wondered if this is causing something funny to happen with electrics. That will cost £150 to replace. if that doesnt work they were going to send the ICU off for analysis. But sounds like it could be a different problem as people here seem to be describing something similar - brake lights coming on at night, usually on very cold nights, which can drain the battery. Pressing the brake pedal seems to turn them off. What should I ask my garage to look at? Thanks

Should there be power to the brake light circuit when the ignition is off and the car locked?

 

If not then I cannot see a faulty switch causing the problem, I would first check if they still operate with the ignition off, if they do then I would lock myself in the car with the key and wait a couple of minutes for things to settle down, (try not to move & set the alarm off!) then test again.

 

It's possible that even if the brake lights dont work with the ignition off there is still the control current voltage to the switch monitored by the body control module, any activation when locked would be treated as an intruder.

 

Disconnecting the alarm horn seems a sensible move, if it is no longer working it will most likely be draining the battery in any case, it could be causing the anomoly, no rational reason why but there often isn't.

Edited 3 December, 20214 yr by J.R.

8 hours ago, gotmyskoda said:

Hi. Has anyone had this problem recently? My rear brake lights (not sure what high level brake lights means) are coming on in the middle of the night and if I don't see in time the battery is going flat. The garage can't work out what's wrong. They did a diagnostic and found that the horn alarm isn't working and wondered if this is causing something funny to happen with electrics. That will cost £150 to replace. if that doesnt work they were going to send the ICU off for analysis. But sounds like it could be a different problem as people here seem to be describing something similar - brake lights coming on at night, usually on very cold nights, which can drain the battery. Pressing the brake pedal seems to turn them off. What should I ask my garage to look at? Thanks

Best if you tell us what year the car is, as a starting point. It is a mk2 Octavia, I presume? High level brake light is the one at the top of the rear screen.

Brake light switch on pedal does usually have a permanent supply, Some recent cars have a hall sensor in the master cylinder instead, not sure from what year though.

@gotmyskoda

 

Was your battery good to begin with?

Half a dozen complaints dating back 14 years - all fixed by replacing the brake light switch. That's where I'd be starting, especially as it is something you can source and replace yourself relatively easily and cheaply.

 

The alarm horn / sound box has in internal back-up battery which is actually a service item. Understandably it is rarely replaced and eventually drains / goes flat. There shouldn't be any adverse effects other than the alarm not sounding in the event the main vehicle battery goes flat or is disconnected and of course the fault code.

It is not a service replacement, the whole module is replaced but if you are very determined like me you can break open the hermetically sealed ultrasonically welded case desolder and replace the battery, it is of a special size that is not produced or available commercially so you have to fit a smaller capacity one.

 

Most including mine have leaked acid and destroyed the circuit board which has a very adverse effect, it creates a partial short which flattens the vehicle battery overnight hence my suggestion to disconnect it.

On 04/12/2021 at 12:41, MicMac said:

@gotmyskoda

 

Was your battery good to begin with?

Yes seems to be fine.

 

The garage has now fitted a new rear brake light switch (under £20 as opposed to £150 for the alarm horn) but very fiddly to fit behind the pedals so not something I could have done. I'll have to see if this solves the problem. The lights havent come on for a week so its pretty erratic but another local mechanic said this is common with brake light switches. They can slip when cold weather causes contraction and this turns rear lights on. But you take out the switch and it looks fine. If the lights come on again I guess it'll be back to the drawing board but this seems the most likely cause. 

On 07/12/2021 at 15:33, J.R. said:

It is not a service replacement...

 

Skoda call out the alarm siren as a service item and recommend it's replacement at predetermined intervals.

When Service Books came in Mk2 Fabia up to about 2012/13 the Alarm was a replacement item on the 5th Service when they were still showing the Services as Minor(inspection)  and Major year about. 

So at a Minor (Inspection) Service as Skoda UK had it at the time.

That was when 'Body Inspections' were on the page after a Service for the sake of the Paint / Corrosion warranty.

That which Skoda UK says these days there is no record of even though they advertise the Body Inspection as part of main dealer servicing on the Fixed Price Servicing and maintenance.

Indeed but you wrote that the internal battery is a service item, I corrected that to say the whole unit has to be replaced; I also corrected your assertion that there should not be any adverse effects by leaving it connected and non functional.

My alarm siren battery went flat and did not result in the issues you described, so in my example my assertion was correct.