Hope I am doing this correctly. 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid V6 165,000 miles. I am wondering if there is anything else that can cause the brake lights to stay on (like the ABS or traction control system) even when the car keys are removed and the brake light switch is dis connected? This all started because of a dead and when charged a weak battery and the smell of burnt wires in the cabin area which caused the traction control and ABS idiot lights to come on for awhile. After new battery, the lights went out and I drove around for a few days but now the brake lights stay on. So before I start looking for where the wires might be burnt or connecting to a power source. Thank you in advance.
Well, if you disconnect the brake light switch on the brake pedal and the light still stays on then yes you have some kind of wiring short that melted and sends power directly to the brake lights. And in that case realize it might have screwed up some of your computer modules too, which will then send power to the brake lights even though the brakes aren't on
@scottykilmer Thank you. Thought so. Just had to make sure. This is going to be fun. Havent dug this deep into wirering in a long time. Will let you know what I find and hopefully no computer models have been damaged. I have gone up and down my driveway with snow and ice on it and I can tell the ABS and traction control still work, so that might be a positive thing. Just find the short, fix and everything will be ok. Fingers crossed.