Brake lights problem

[corollastudent]

When I push my brakes, only the third light illuminates, but when I'm driving at night with the lights on, my brake lights are illuminated. But again, nothing happens when the brake pedal is pushed. So I know the lights themselves work, there is just some disconnect between them and the pedal.

[jdmccright]

There are actually two different circuits for the tail lights. One is for the actual stop/brake lights and the other is for the car's nighttime marker lights which are dimmer than the stop lamps.

From your description, it sounds like the marker lights work okay when you turn on the headlights, but they do not get brighter (or secondary lights don't come on) when you press the brake pedal.

Have someone check the brake lamp warning relay box for failure. This little yellow box, usually located on the driver's side near the rear wheel well, is what is used to illuminate the "brake lamp failure" warning on your car's instrument panel. Another indication of this is fast-cycling of the car's turn signals, though this may not be true of your car. This box is used by Toyota on many of their models and has a history of failing in this and other forums. Easily fixed but can stump many about why their warning lamps are on or they have no brake lights.

A final thought is the wiring harness going to your brake lights may be fatigued and have breaks in the wires leading to your brake lights, especially if they are mounted to the car's trunk lid. Good luck!