99 Escort Brake/Tail Lights Problem

I have a 99 Ford Escort. I have had alot of work done in the past year, from getting a new engine installed, to having a new timing belt, new brakes, and other various items replaced. Now I have a problem where my red brake lights will not turn off. This happened randomly and the only way to get them off is to take out the fuse that goes with this light. How can I fix this problem without going to a car repair and getting ripped off again? I tried the spraying it with WD40 fix, but either it does not work or I am not getting to the correct place under the car. Help!
Jenny

It could be something as simple as the brake light switch requiring adjustment, or the switch itself could have gone faulty. Before you start digging too deep into things I would check out those two items first. Here are two threads referring to a similar problem, and the final post in each thread describes how to adjust the switch:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=567065

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=466167

As for testing the switch itself, you would need a multimeter or a test lamp. My Escort is a UK diesel, manual transmission, so it will be quite different to yours so I can't give you an exact description of the method, but something like this should work:

Firstly you'll need to put that fuse back in circuit, and then measure the voltage at both sides of the brake light switch, down by the pedal. One side should be at 12V and the other side should be at 0V. Then when pressing the brake pedal, both sides should be at 12V.

You may find 12V on both sides permanently, and if physical adjustment doesn't fix it then that would indicate a faulty switch (permanently closed contacts) and it would require replacement.

Check the adjustment first though, because there's a good chance that that's all that's wrong with it.