Do your park lights come on when the brake is pressed? We explain what the problem could be and give you solutions to stop the parking lights from coming on.
Lights are one of the essential features of a vehicle, and any issues in them can be hazardous. One of the common issues that many drivers complain of is why the vehicle’s park lights come on when the brake is pressed?
This article will talk about the problem, its reason, and how you can solve the problem. Before that, let’s understand what park lights are and what purpose they serve on a vehicle.
Park Lights: Why Do You Need Them?
For your vehicle to be legal for driving on a public road, it needs to have sidelights. The same lights work as park lights when you park your car at the side of the road.
Sidelights serve the purpose of making your car visible when driving through an area with low visibility. Switch on the sidelights, turn on rear lights and number plate lights for your vehicle to be visible to a driver behind you.
When your car is parked, and you switch on the sidelights, they now act as park lights.
How Do You Turn On Parking Lights
In most of the cars, there is a single switch for headlights and park lights. You need to switch the dial to park lights to turn them on.
Several new models of cars will automatically turn the park lights on when you have set the lighting control setting to automatic.
When Should You Use Parking Lights
Park lights on a vehicle are extremely beneficial in case of an emergency. When your car is parked on the roadside, park lights keep you visible to other drivers.
What To Do If Park Lights Come On When The Brake Is Pressed
Most of the time, if park lights come on when the brake is pressed on a vehicle, the issue is simpler than what we make it.
What most people do in such a situation would be opening the dashboards for checking any faults in the wiring, and others would check the whole car for any problem with the electric circuit problems.
If you are facing park light issues, then you need to check your car for these:
- Grounding faults
- Electrical circuit shorts or faults
- Malfunctioning components like switches.
Let us discuss all these issues and how to check them in your car.
Grounding Faults
One of the most common causes of why your park lights come on when the brake is pressed would be a grounding fault.
The electric current flows directly to the ground in a grounding fault instead of flowing in the circuit. This happens when a wire from the electric circuit makes contact with the body of the car. The grounding fault problem is very simple to fix. There are several reasons for this fault.
Wrong Park Light Replacement Installed In The Car
There are two different types of park lights in a car. One is a single contact light, and another is double. Sometimes when the park lights malfunction or fuse, they need replacement, and the vehicle owner mistakenly replaces the double contact park light with single contact park light. That would result in a grounding fault because there is a missing electrical circuit.
Rusted Contacts On The Bulbs
Often moisture or any factor can lead to corrosion of the bulb contacts, resulting in grounding faults.
While checking whether your car has grounding faults or not, make sure to check and clean all the bulb contacts of the park lights.
If there is any rust, either replace the bulb or clean it thoroughly if possible and double-check that everything is in working condition. If all is fine, then fit everything back.
Water can get inside the lights if there is any hole. If there is any, seal it with some sealant to avoid any rust on the bulb contacts. There is a drainage hole in the bottom of the lights to drain any water that gets inside. Make sure that you don’t seal it mistakenly.
Fixing The Electric Circuit Faults Or Shorts
Any shorts in the electric circuit of a car can cause park lights to come on when the brake is pressed. Electrical wiring in cars runs through the car’s frame and the carpet. Finding a fault in the electric circuit can be time taking and inconvenient for you.
Sometimes, the simplest of things might be the answer to a big problem. Try to remember things that you have recently done that could have caused the faulty park lights.
You might have driven your vehicle through waterlogged roads or have some work done at a mechanic shop or by yourself. Often the problem doesn’t start immediately, and it takes a few days or weeks to cause some inconvenience.
For example- rust doesn’t happen overnight, and it may take several days to show its effect.
Malfunctioning Components
All the complexities aside, sometimes, the park lights’ problem can be due to a faulty switch or a faulty bulb, and changing that can fix this problem.
How To Fix The Park Lights Issue
After you have pinpointed the problem, fixing the park light issue is not a big deal. In case of a grounding fault or electric shorts, fix and complete the circuit, and your issue will be resolved.
In case of component malfunction, all you need to do is replace the faulty component, and the park lights will start working fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
When the foot brake is pressed what light must come on?
When you press the foot brake on a vehicle, the red-colored brake lights must come on at the rear of the car. It is to let the driver behind you know that you are either stopping or slowing down.
Why are my brake lights on when I’m not breaking?
If your brake lights remain on even if you are not pressing the brakes, then it can be due to a blown a fuse or a faulty brake light switch.
Are parking lights brake lights?
No parking lights are not brake lights. Brake lights are two vibrant red lights at the vehicle’s back that turn on when you press the brakes. Parking lights are orange or white and are at the front, back, and sides of the car. You need to turn these lights on when parking on a roadside where the speed limit is over 30mph.
Parting Words
Having properly functioning lights is essential for any vehicle for a safe ride. Often drivers complain of having faulty park lights, and that can be dangerous.
I hope you could find the solution to park lights coming on when the brake is pressed in our article above. If our suggestions worked for you, please do give us a nod in the comments section below.
Happy Driving!