2000 Cherokee brake lights

[HansK]

I need help ASAP please! My brake lights won't work on my 2000 Cherokee. I have no clue why, or when it started. I know about a month ago I did a light inspection before I drove the car on vacation and all the lights worked. I have a fuse diagram that I have gotten from this forum, and according to that the brake lights aren't on a fuse. The actual lights come on with the parking lights...so the lights are getting power, they just won't get brighter when the brake pedel is pressed. They also won't work if the lights are off. Is there a fuse for brake lights? If so, does anyone know which one? What else could cause this? Also, non of the brake lights work, including the high-mount one above the hatch. Help please....obviously my car is not the safest thing to drive right now without working brake lights.

[maxburnz]

It could be the Brake Light Switch. It is located on or behind the Brake Pedal.

[fredjacksonsan]

Yep, that would be the best place to start. If the brake switch is bad, no voltage would be sent to the taillights.

[Saudade]

There is a separate filament in the bulbs for the stop lamps.

The 2000 FSM does show a fuse. It's a 15amp. Find the switch behind the brake pedal and see if you have 12v (or so). If you do, jump across the switch and see if you have lights. If you do, then the switch is bad. If you don't, remove the bulbs and check for voltage in socket (of course, someone will have to depress the brake pedal or leave a jumper in place). If you don't then you likely have a broken wire. If you do, then maybe you have a bad ground after the sockets.

[HansK]

OK, thanks...I was able to determine the day after I posted this that it was the switch. All the fuses had power, so I checked the lights, but they didn't have any power going to the socket with the pedel pressed. I then took out the switch, and only one line had power regardless of whether the switch was on or not, so I replaced the switch, and now it works fine...thanks again