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- 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE
Ford has a recall 22S02 for the brake light switch pad. This pad will deteriorate with age. This occurs to the original one and replacements. This pad is a small bumper that press the brake foot pedal arm against the brake switch to turn on and off the brake lights.
If your brake lights are always on, even when the car is off, it is very likely the brake light switch pad has broken off or the brake switch is broken. Both are near the foot pedal. The brake light switch is trivial to replace and can be done without any tools. (perhaps a small screw driver or your car keys would help free the wire connecter from the switch). The brake light switch pad should be trivial to replace, but because of a very poor design by Ford, it is extremely difficult to get to and insert the new one.
The brake light switch and pad are under the steering wheel just above and left of the brake foot pedal. To remove the brake pedal switch squeeze the two tabs on each side of the switch and turn the whole switch clockwise by about an 1/8 of a turn. The switch will then easily pull out. The switch armature should freely move in and out without any snags or catches along the way. The brake lights should be off when the pole is fully extended and on when you partially or fully press it. If that doesn't work, then replace it. They are $25 to $35 at an auto parts store and double or more at a stealership. To remove the wire connector just press your car keys or screw driver on the switch body between the plastic clip. The connector will pop out. Putting a new one in is just the reverse operation, but before you do, check the pad. I've read that the stealship charges over $400 for this service.
Look for greenish white plastic where the tip of the switch pole would touch the brake pedal arm. If you see just metal with a hole, or find broken plastic near your feet under the brake pedal, then the brake switch light pad is missing. Replacements can be found on Amazon for $5 for 4 and at the stealership for $7 for 1.
First, if you find yourself hundreds of miles away from home, and the Ford dealer won't help, you can temporarily fix this using two pennies and some tape. I used scotch tape. Tape two pennies together and maybe roll some tape to make makeshift double sided tape. It is difficult to get in the area, put with one finger, you should be able to get the pennies into the metal housing and the rubber brake booster. It is hard to get there. Pressing the brake with your other hand may help. Put the double side tape portion toward the metal of the brake arm laying flat against the tab with the whole in it. Now put the brake switch back such that the pole of the switch pushes on the center of the pennies on one side and the tab on the brake arm on the other. This will work well enough to get you home.
The proper repair is much harder than the penny method. The brake light switch pad has a tab that inserts into the hole on the brake pedal arm. It would be easy to push in, but the switch housing blocks access with your fingers. Even using needle nose pliers proved impossible. This can be done in 15 minutes with the following method.
Tools:
- small needle nose pliers or hemostat. The thinner and longer they are the better.
- small to medium flat head screwdriver
- head light is really helpful to be able to see
- 1 foot thin solid wire. This is key. It should be stiff enough to hold in whatever shape you form it into, yet thin enough to be flexible and get pulled around a corner. I think the wire I used was 22 awg used for breadboarding. Stranded wire tends not to hold its shape. Wire like a bread tie might work if you could find one long enough.
Steps
1) move the drivers seat as far back as possible
2) lie on your back on the driver floor mat
3) brake light switch should already be out per above steps (turn counter clockwise 1/8 turn). there is no need to remove the wire connector from the switch.
4) straighten the thin wire to have just a slight curve
5) insert one end of the wire through the hole where the switch attaches. Then go straight back and feed the wire through the hole of on the tab on the brake arm where the pad should be.
6) Feed through the wire until you can see it one the other side near the floor/front wall. Twist the wire around until you can see it. You may need to use your small finger to try to pull it over towards the rubber gasket / shield.
7) Use needle nose pliers to grab the wire and pull it. Pull enough so the it won't slide back out through the hole in the brake arm (maybe about 2-3 inches)
8) Use the needle nose to grab the wire between the pedal arm hole and hole for the switch. Pull it all the way out of the side of the switch housing being careful not to pull back out the wire that you just got through and around the pedal arm hole.
9) With the end of the wire that you just pulled through the switch hole, feed this through the hole in the tab on the new brake switch pad.
10) With that same end, feed this through the inside of the switch housing and back up through the hole for the brake switch. You could skip a step if you can feed this directly through the brake arm tab hole, but I found that difficult due to the angle and lack of access. The switch hole is much bigger and easier to get through.
11) Pull the wire through the brake switch hole. The new pad should now be in the switch housing on the wire like a medallion on necklace.
12) On the wire that you just pull through the switch hole, straighten the end and bend it around so that you can go straight through the switch hole again and straight into the brake arm tab hole.
13) As just said, feed the straight(ish) wire through back into the switch hole and straight into the brake arm hole so that you can see the end on the floor/front wall side.
14) use needle nose plier to grab the wire end and pull to now be next to the first end that strung through in step 5
15) grab both ends of the wire and pull. The brake pad tab should get pulled into the brake arm tab hole
16) With a screw driver, go through the brake switch housing hole and push against the new brake pad. By pulling on the wire ends, the pad tab should have pulled the pad tab insert into the hole and so it should be easy for the screwdriver to push the new pads tab into the hole.
17) let go of one end of the wire and pull the wire free
18) Insert brake light switch into the housing and turn 1/8 turn counterclockwise.
19) Congratulate yourself and curse the Ford engineer for designing this to not have easy accessibility
Hope this helps.
If your brake lights are always on, even when the car is off, it is very likely the brake light switch pad has broken off or the brake switch is broken. Both are near the foot pedal. The brake light switch is trivial to replace and can be done without any tools. (perhaps a small screw driver or your car keys would help free the wire connecter from the switch). The brake light switch pad should be trivial to replace, but because of a very poor design by Ford, it is extremely difficult to get to and insert the new one.
The brake light switch and pad are under the steering wheel just above and left of the brake foot pedal. To remove the brake pedal switch squeeze the two tabs on each side of the switch and turn the whole switch clockwise by about an 1/8 of a turn. The switch will then easily pull out. The switch armature should freely move in and out without any snags or catches along the way. The brake lights should be off when the pole is fully extended and on when you partially or fully press it. If that doesn't work, then replace it. They are $25 to $35 at an auto parts store and double or more at a stealership. To remove the wire connector just press your car keys or screw driver on the switch body between the plastic clip. The connector will pop out. Putting a new one in is just the reverse operation, but before you do, check the pad. I've read that the stealship charges over $400 for this service.
Look for greenish white plastic where the tip of the switch pole would touch the brake pedal arm. If you see just metal with a hole, or find broken plastic near your feet under the brake pedal, then the brake switch light pad is missing. Replacements can be found on Amazon for $5 for 4 and at the stealership for $7 for 1.
First, if you find yourself hundreds of miles away from home, and the Ford dealer won't help, you can temporarily fix this using two pennies and some tape. I used scotch tape. Tape two pennies together and maybe roll some tape to make makeshift double sided tape. It is difficult to get in the area, put with one finger, you should be able to get the pennies into the metal housing and the rubber brake booster. It is hard to get there. Pressing the brake with your other hand may help. Put the double side tape portion toward the metal of the brake arm laying flat against the tab with the whole in it. Now put the brake switch back such that the pole of the switch pushes on the center of the pennies on one side and the tab on the brake arm on the other. This will work well enough to get you home.
The proper repair is much harder than the penny method. The brake light switch pad has a tab that inserts into the hole on the brake pedal arm. It would be easy to push in, but the switch housing blocks access with your fingers. Even using needle nose pliers proved impossible. This can be done in 15 minutes with the following method.
Tools:
- small needle nose pliers or hemostat. The thinner and longer they are the better.
- small to medium flat head screwdriver
- head light is really helpful to be able to see
- 1 foot thin solid wire. This is key. It should be stiff enough to hold in whatever shape you form it into, yet thin enough to be flexible and get pulled around a corner. I think the wire I used was 22 awg used for breadboarding. Stranded wire tends not to hold its shape. Wire like a bread tie might work if you could find one long enough.
Steps
1) move the drivers seat as far back as possible
2) lie on your back on the driver floor mat
3) brake light switch should already be out per above steps (turn counter clockwise 1/8 turn). there is no need to remove the wire connector from the switch.
4) straighten the thin wire to have just a slight curve
5) insert one end of the wire through the hole where the switch attaches. Then go straight back and feed the wire through the hole of on the tab on the brake arm where the pad should be.
6) Feed through the wire until you can see it one the other side near the floor/front wall. Twist the wire around until you can see it. You may need to use your small finger to try to pull it over towards the rubber gasket / shield.
7) Use needle nose pliers to grab the wire and pull it. Pull enough so the it won't slide back out through the hole in the brake arm (maybe about 2-3 inches)
8) Use the needle nose to grab the wire between the pedal arm hole and hole for the switch. Pull it all the way out of the side of the switch housing being careful not to pull back out the wire that you just got through and around the pedal arm hole.
9) With the end of the wire that you just pulled through the switch hole, feed this through the hole in the tab on the new brake switch pad.
10) With that same end, feed this through the inside of the switch housing and back up through the hole for the brake switch. You could skip a step if you can feed this directly through the brake arm tab hole, but I found that difficult due to the angle and lack of access. The switch hole is much bigger and easier to get through.
11) Pull the wire through the brake switch hole. The new pad should now be in the switch housing on the wire like a medallion on necklace.
12) On the wire that you just pull through the switch hole, straighten the end and bend it around so that you can go straight through the switch hole again and straight into the brake arm tab hole.
13) As just said, feed the straight(ish) wire through back into the switch hole and straight into the brake arm hole so that you can see the end on the floor/front wall side.
14) use needle nose plier to grab the wire end and pull to now be next to the first end that strung through in step 5
15) grab both ends of the wire and pull. The brake pad tab should get pulled into the brake arm tab hole
16) With a screw driver, go through the brake switch housing hole and push against the new brake pad. By pulling on the wire ends, the pad tab should have pulled the pad tab insert into the hole and so it should be easy for the screwdriver to push the new pads tab into the hole.
17) let go of one end of the wire and pull the wire free
18) Insert brake light switch into the housing and turn 1/8 turn counterclockwise.
19) Congratulate yourself and curse the Ford engineer for designing this to not have easy accessibility
Hope this helps.