Brake lights TURN ON when I turn OFF the car and stay on until the battery dies.

[rmaazar]

Hello all, This is my first BMW so i am not at all familiar with the typical problems bmw owners face. I recently bought a 2004 bmw 530i e60 and it drove fine for a few weeks. I do drive it rarely maybe once a week or two because I drive my motorcycle as my primary commuting vehicle.

Two days ago i went for a ride at night and noticed my brake lights on when i got home i turned the car off took the keys out and set alarm and got confirmation "beep" the brake lights stayed on I thought they would shut off on their own but never did. Itried today charged my battery and turned car on the brake lights went off i drove around fine i got a seat belt message in idrive turned off car and turned back on to see if battery charge kept and it did.

I continued driving and everything worked fine. i got back to my garage as soon as i turn off car brake lights come on and stay on. I read somewhere to disconnnect battery for 24-36 hours I am doing that now. i want to note that the brakelights do not stay on when the car is running.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[GeorgeT]

Bad stop light switch?: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...86#61316967601

[rmaazar]

Thanks GeorgeT for the tip i will replace this tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

[rmaazar]

Thanks GeorgeT for the tip i will replace this tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

I just swapped out the switch and the issue persists. I also then unplugged the switch completely and the brake lights were still on with the car off.

[rmaazar]

So after going back and looking at the new switch it turns out I had pushed it too far and when I set it in place which was actually holding the brake pedal back so I popped it out and put it back in and now everything works the way it's supposed to be. So it was the stop light switch thank you so much GeorgeT. I hope this also helps others.

[rmaazar]

Spoke to soon it appears. Drove it and the problem came back. All three brake lights and only the brake lights stay on when I turn off the car. When the car is running all lights work fine I am getting a seat belt tensioner message intermittently. autozone said it sounds like the ignition switch. Is that possible?? Is it worth a try or completely outside the scope??

[rmaazar]

So i took the car to BMW and after three weeks they said it has a bad CAS and after replacing the CAS now they said the DME needs to be replaced something about a code 15. I took the car home rather than jsut keep paying to replace parts and it still have the issue. I do see a fluid wicking through the harnesses going into the DME enclosure. I will start trying to find the source of this fluid this weekend any thoughts on where to start?

[rmaazar]

20161117_110004.jpg20161117_110018.jpgtook apart dme and can see where the oil is luckily there doesnt appear to be any on circuit board doesnt mean something didnt get fried i know. Any ideas on the best ways to clean these pins so that i can get them clean and dry?

[kuwacs]

Electrical contact cleaner and a can of spray air is probably your best bet here!

[garfy87]

Hi, I know that this post is like 5years old. I am facing the same problem. May I know did you solve the problem at last? If so, may I know what is the source of the problem? This problem has been around for too long. I suspect the ignition key problem since if the problem occur (the brake light is on when I pull out the keyless key). I need to reinsert the key and pull out the keyless key from its slot many times before the rear brake light switched off. I also noticed there's a crackling sound coming from the rear bonnet at the battery compartment when I pull out the key.

[Marcor650i]

Hi friend, I am having the exact same problem. Did you find any solution?

Hi, I know that this post is like 5years old. I am facing the same problem. May I know did you solve the problem at last? If so, may I know what is the source of the problem? This problem has been around for too long. I suspect the ignition key problem since if the problem occur (the brake light is on when I pull out the keyless key). I need to reinsert the key and pull out the keyless key from its slot many times before the rear brake light switched off. I also noticed there's a crackling sound coming from the rear bonnet at the battery compartment when I pull out the key.

[John Jenkins]

What do I have to do to get the answer to this question my brake lights come on and stay on when I turn the car off and take out the key please tell the right cause

[KTSM]

It appears they disconnect battery, unplugged DME, cleaned it with electrical contact cleaner and put it back together. See thread above with picture.

[newdrue]

Hi, I know that this post is like 5years old. I am facing the same problem. May I know did you solve the problem at last? If so, may I know what is the source of the problem? This problem has been around for too long. I suspect the ignition key problem since if the problem occur (the brake light is on when I pull out the keyless key). I need to reinsert the key and pull out the keyless key from its slot many times before the rear brake light switched off. I also noticed there's a crackling sound coming from the rear bonnet at the battery compartment when I pull out the key.

Did you ever find a solution? My 2008 535i is doing the exact same thing.

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Did you ever find a solution? My 2008 535i is doing the same thing.