Last night my wife informed me that her brake lights were stuck on. It had been a rainy day, so my biggest fear was that there was some sort of electrical short God-knows-where inside the car. This could be expensive. After some back-and-forth of tapping the brakes, turning on the car, turning the lights on and off with no result I finally changed clothes and squirmed under the dash to see what was up. Here’s what I found, in case it might be helpful to others.
The brake pedal is connected to at least one button for turning the brake lights on and off. As the pedal is released, the button is depressed. As the pedal is pressed, the button is released. When the button is depressed, the lights go off. When the button is released, the lights go on.
In the case of my wife’s 1996 Ford Escort, there is a small, blue rubber pad on the ‘contact plate’ that the brake light button presses against. The reason I was looking under the dashboard in the first place is because my wife asked if maybe the blue rubber filings and rubber pad that she recently found on the driver-side floorboard might have something to do with her brake light problem. She was right after all.
Since the pad had fallen off of the contact plate the button was not getting depressed far enough to turn off the lights when the brake pedal was released. The solution is to replace the little blue pad. I was not able to find out what this thing was called or even if you could buy one without replacing the entire brake light switch.
The rubber pad worked like a ladies ear ring. It had a little nub on the back that fit into a hole in the contact plate. Probably due to age, this nub broke off and created a big headache for me. In order to avoid visiting the Ford dealer I simply reconnected the nub with some super glue and, after a lot of sweating upside down under the steering wheel, snapped the blue pad back in place. It’s been a few days. So far the super glue is still holding the rubber pad together. My wife’s brake lights are back in action.
UPDATE
Well, the repaired rubber pad didn’t last long: 2 days. Now it’s broken into several pieces.
But I came up with a better solution. This time I rebuilt the pad using a foam-based wine bottle cork, a circle cut-out in heavy coated paper (a better surface for the button to press against) and the original pad’s little stem. All assembled with super glue. Let’s see how long this one lasts.
Wow thanks for posting this! by random chance, my car did the exact same thing, and I found the blue rubber thing on the floor! I super glued my first test, and if it falls apart I’m going to have to do the wine cork idea! 🙂 Also helps that its a Ford Escort as well. Diagram and everything rocks, thanks! it sure saved me! 🙂
Yeah, it’s a tough spot be in, see and work in at the same time. ;D Glad this helped.
Thank you a lot, I have the same problem.Phil
I’m going thru this now. I found the pieces of the blue rubber thing on the floor. I ignored it thinking it was one of my girls erasers. Then I read a few posts mentioning this Blue mysterious part. My husband took the pieces to Autozone, R & S Strauss & our local Ford Dealer. NO ONE had a clue what this is. The ford dealer called a few places no one knows what this part is called. I’m going to try to contact ford tomorrow. I tried tonight but it was past 9pm. Wish me luck! My car is at my job right now (15 miles away). Thanks for the info!
Blanca R.
8/19/09
Googled this website, and glad I did. my wife’s 99 zx2 had constant brake lights and she had found the blue rubber piece in the floor, glued back together and no more problem. thanks for the help.
I get a big grin every time someone finds this post helpful. 😀 It’s been over a year and my wife’s brake lights are still working perfectly.
Thanks a million. Actually found a spare right next to the original but broke the stem trying to put it in. Ran some bread wrapper wires thru the peg and wrapped the wires around the surrounding metal…works for now but ? Anyway, thanks to your diagram I get the principal so if this doesn’t work I’ll try something sturdier. You have to be a contortionist to spend any time down there! Thanks again.
Hey, this happened to me about a week ago with my 2001 Ford ZX2. The diagram is very helpful, thank you. Does anyone know what the actual name for this part is ? I cannot find one yet. 🙂
I went to 3 auto parts stores looking for this part. No one knew what it was… I found this blog and then found the spare spacer attached to the brake contact plate. My ’97 Escort lives to drive another day. Thanks Everyone!
Had the same problem with my 99 Ford Escort. Called the dealer and they didn’t know what I was talking about, found the spare (after reading these blogs) but it seems as brittle as the one that broke off so decided would try using a heavy duty felt pad, the kind you put on the bottom of chair legs so they don’t scrape the floor and it was much easier to put on as has adhesive on the back. Will let you know how long that holds up. The pad is about the same thickness as the unknown part and brake lights actually off. Fingers crossed.
oh man! i’m so glad i found this website. i have a ford escort as well and of course, i find pieces of blue rubber on the floor of my car. i ended up supergluing it but we’ll see if it lasts. if not, i’ll try the wine bottle cork! THANK YOU! 😀
My 1998 ZX2 just had this same failure. Went out and found the rubber stopper deteriorated and laying on the floormat. I found that a Mazda Miata (MX5) uses the same part for its brake lights. The Mazda part number is “B001-43-029”. Ordered two at $1.99 each (one for the brake pedal and one for the clutch pedal – if one is falling apart the other cannot be far behind) The part is identical in size and shape but black in color under this part number. They do have blue ones but they sell for about $5 each. I went with the black. Problem solved!
Mike
@Mike: Thanks for those part numbers! I knew that the Escort had some Mazda pedigree since the ’90s, so your discovery isn’t all that surprising. I probably would have spent the $2 rather than spent the time rebuilding a custom part. I just recently sold the subject of this post (the brake lights were still working great), but I do still own a 2002 Escort sedan. So, when the part crumbles to bits on this one I might save myself some trouble and head over to the Mazda dealer!
@ Jason: Your fix is a good temporary one for when the part fails. It took two days for the rubber stoppers to come in at the Mazda dealership. That’s not a long time but if you need something quick your fix will do in a pinch. I also noticed, since I’m a school teacher, that my round board magnets are exactly the same size (diameter and thickness) as one of those brake pedal cushions. I bought them in a package of about 40 at the local Office Max. The only difference is the magnet doesn’t have the post in the back to hold it in place on the pedal. A little contact cement would make this an ideal temporary replacement until a new rubber stopper could be received. Or at least, a quick fix to prevent the car’s battery from being drained by the brake lights.
Mike
can anyone tell me if they ahve found a spare under the escort zx2 or anything? or maybe the part number for ford..i would like to know..thank you.
does anyone know the part number for this piece? or where the spare one is located on a Escort zx2??
I think the above Mazda part numbers are the only part numbers we are aware of (in this conversation). If you are looking to buy a replacement part, I would suggest going to a Mazda dealer to order this part. Or call some junkyards.
The Mazda part number is a good one. It only took 30 seconds to replace the broken rubber stopper with the new one. I didn’t even have to readjust the brake pedal light switch. During my research I found that these stoppers are made in Japan and supplied to Ford and Mazda. The blue ones have a part number of G030-43-029 and were $4.99 each. The black ones are B001-43-029 and identical in size and shape to the original Ford ZX2 rubber pedal stoppers.
I could do a photo of both but I don’t have a way to upload/host it on this blog. Maybe Jason could post them if I emailed one to him.Mike
Thanks for the photo of these parts, Mike. I silho’d them and adjusted their color to more closely resemble their real-world appearance.
@Jason: The parts pictured above look really nice – thanks Jason! Actually the blue one is an original Ford stopper from the car. The black one is the new part from Mazda. I took the spare one out of the other side of the brake pedal for a comparison between the two. Since the spare was just as old as the one that failed, I wanted to go with a new pedal stopper as the old ones are quite stiff from age. The new rubber should last at least as long as the original which in my case was 12 years.
Mike
Jason, Thanks for posting all of the above information. My break lights came on randomly after the car had been parked for several hours. I googled the problem and came to your site. Sure enough there was the little blue part in three pieces. We were able to fix the problem temporarily and with the rest of the information we plan to go to Ford or Mazda to get the new piece. Thanks, I didn’t even need a bottle of aspirin. .’>
Great info. However, ford did not have the part in conyers ga. will check with other dealers or mazda. used washers and bolt for temp fix. by spare also broke while trying to replace..
You might be better off just jury-rigging your own replacement, but it does sound like Mazda sells the part.
Thanks for the info. I am about to attempt home made fix as we speak.
Thanks a million…………
Wow, the internet is useful for some things. I hadn’t driven my car in a week, went to start it and the battery was completely drained, had a warranty, so went to get a new one. I put the new battery in and realized what drained the battery when the tail lights wouldn’t go out. I also had found the broken blue washer (3 pieces) on the floor. My first thought was that someone had cut something trying to steal my car or something. But apparently that washer just does that. Oh well, haven’t had much problem with weak parts, except having to replace that weak pcv elbow at the rear of the engine that would cause the engine to stall, a while back.
Found out what was going on with the lights on another site, but went to 6 auto parts stores today and they couldn’t tell me a part number to look for, so now I have those from this site. Thanks everyone.
Follow up info. Went to Mazda for the part, was only $2, but the part would have to be ordered. I didn’t want to wait, so I went to Ford. They had the part in stock, but it cost me $6. Ford part number is E7GZ-7583-A, in case any one needs to know.
Another follow up – Well I went out to my car and found another one of these blue stoppers in pieces on the floormat. It seems the ZX2 has two of these blue stoppers mounted on the clutch pedal of the 5-speed models. One stopper is for the ignition switch interrupt and the other is just used as stopper pad for the clutch pedal. I originally bought two of these replacemetn stoppers at the Mazda dealer on for the brake pedal and one for the clutch but now I need another one for that other clutch stopper I didn’t originally see. BTW, I had to wait for the Mazda folks to order the part but it only took a day for them to receive it. The Mazda dealerships are on a central parts repository system and one warehouse supplies parts to all the dealerships in a region.
WOW! I have been searching and searching. I have owned my 99ZX2 for 11 years and I love it. I was able to figure out what happened when my brake lights wouldn’t turn off…a little epoxy and the little blue thing was back together….for one week. In that time I visited 2 ford dealerships and NO ONE was able to tell me what the part # was or even what it was called. I hated calling places saying, “….you know, that little blue plastic thingy that goes between the brake pedal and the plate that sits behind it?” Autozone thought I was nuts. So THANK YOU!!!! I will be calling my local Mazda dealership first thing Monday morning. THANK YOU!!!
WOW! Your the GREATEST! I was about to go out and purchase a break light switch when I came upon your web site. I have a 1985 Nissan pickup. When I went checked out the floorboard, sure enough I noticed bits of green plastic. I couldn’t use your fix because the Nissan has a “stopper” shaped like a button. This fits through a hole to turn on and off the brake light switch. The Nissan dealer had a replacement called a “Rub-Pedal Stopper” part number 46512-H0101 for $3.00. I don’t know how to attach a picture, so will send it separate.
Thanks, Neva, for this additional information. It might help some other Nissan owner.
The Nissan part, 46512-H0101, had to be whittled to fit our Ford Escort. Looks like the Mazda part would be better for the Escort.
Thanks for this site.
Thank you so much for posting this. I had two guys trying to help me last night because they had no idea why my brake lights wouldn’t turn off. I found two broken blue discs as described here, and this helped me out a lot
I called around and even went up to Auto Zone, but no one could help me… not even my Ford dealership. So for now I took a small portion of cork and put sticky tack on the backside… then took a thumb tack to poke through it as extra support (similar to what you did, but my blue “stem” portion was broken so I didn’t use it… used the thumb tack instead).
I hope this works. Guy at Auto Zone sold me some clip things too… he said he had seen some folks use those in the past, but didn’t know if they worked well. Have them in case I need them. Hoping my job works well enough… I don’t really have another choice right now.
Ford part number E7GZ-7583-A ($4.00 each) available from amazon.com for $2.88 each. These are black and are called bumpers.
@Johnnie: Thanks for this info. Here’s a link to the product page: Ford E7GZ-7583-A – BUMPER
Thank you, thank you for this info. This just happened to my 03 zx2. Thanks for the fix! You just saved me serious cash!
It just happened to me today 🙁 and I didnt even notice the blue piece until reading this post 🙂 thank you guys for being so helpful. Thank Jason for this blog! You get 10k cool points!
After reading this post, I realized there was a spare. I tried to install it but, like here, it broke. The round plastic broke in half as did the nub. So i found a bolt and nut and that is working fine so far. What a PITA! Thanks for the post!
For those using the spare, make sure you are pushing it out from behind and not pulling out on the larger part and you’ll be much less likely to break it. Just replaced mine with the spare (assuming it’s for non-existent clutch on this automatic) and voila, problem solved.
This is sooooo funny. We bought thi 1999 Ford Escort and call it the “Grandma Car” We thought she had lost her mind or got a mind of her own when the lights wouldn’t go off. We have been pulling the fuse out at night. When my daughter failed the DMV test in my big van and needed a smaller car to pass parralell paring I got desperate and came to your website. WE were sure the problem was going to cost more than the car. My sincerest gratitude, we are on the road again for about $2.
so, its december 13th. 10 pm and freezing. Everyones loaded in the car and hmmm it won’t start. After a jump and me becomming a popsicle in a very akward position(my back still hurts), i realize there is a piece of blue plastic and my brake light switch is broken:( well lets hope for some sunny weather here in good old maryland. Thanks for yr site. this is the 1st time i have dealt with this issue and my 2nd zx2. I found it really helpful. With a diagram i can fix anything:)
Hello! Thank you very much for posting this information specially with the illustration. I was able to fix the problem with the brake light stay on in my 2001 Ford Escort ZX2. Thanks again. Luiz =)
Thanks to all who provided their ideas and part numbers. For my temporary fix, I cut a piece of rubber from the pad of a broken bar clamp and used electrical tape to fasten it in place. Quick and easy. I don’t think the other stopper that’s on the arm is a spare. It also contacts a switch. I assume that switch is for the auto transmission safety device that prevents shifting out of park without the brakes applied. Can anyone confirm if that’s the case?
Great Posts! I have a 99 zx2 also with the same problem several months ago. I originally glued the pieces together the first time, but several months later I have same problem again and found blue little pieces on floor this time. I knew I couldn’t glue it together this time, so I started to look online for alternatives. Seems this is not a part you can go to your local parts store to get, as you may need to go to a dealership to find this. But GREAT IDEA’s from this post has given me a few alternatives b4 having to spend a dollar to fix this. In my case, I happen to found a spare part on the brake pedal beside the sensor. It may be 12 yrs old now, but it hasn’t had any abuse either, so it may last as long as I have the car I hope. If not, then I look forward to using the wine cork top idea or another clever solution. I also seen that if you may not have a “spare” on your brake pedal, there might be a “spare” on one of the other pedals that will work also! 🙂
Thank you so much. I had the same problem with my Escort today and found the little blue pieces that had fallen on car floor. I used some tacky glue to put the oval part back and voila the brake lights turned off. I am hoping it will stick but for now I don’t really need to worry about my battery. Yay for your post. Now if I could learn how to put air in my tires :). Thanks from the girliest girl who doesn’t know a thing about cars.
Thanks a ton. I had the same problem last night with my 1999 Escort (173,000 miles) and, after reading this post, found the broken blue pieces on the floor. I located the spare bumper and slipped it into place – although that took one person in the passenger seat to depress the pedal with the left leg to create enough space to work with between the switch and the mount, and a second person to get under the dash and seat the bumper properly. Voilà, problem solved.
Thanks to everyone for their informative posts…..you saved me a lot of worry….same thing happened to my 98 Ford Escort….brake lights on continuously….
after reading the posts about the rubber bumper (blue) needed for the brake light switch to work, I checked my car to see if this was the culprit and found that it was…I found the part broken and lying in the floorboard of the car. Luckily the ford dealership near me has the part available for less than $5.
Thanks again to everyone for sharing.
Thank you soooo much for all of this info. I have owned my 99 ZX2 since I was 15 years old (about 9 years) before selling it to my boyfriends little sister. I found the pieces of the blue bumper on the floor many years ago and then noticed my brake lights were staying on off and on. I realized it must have been connected to my findings, especially after examining the pedal assembly. I put a little makeshift remedy in the spot that worked for a while but it has finally worn down and now his sister is having problems with it again. Someone told her those pieces didn’t exist and others told her it would cost her over $300 to fix (RIDICULOUS!! is what I told her). I have just been working on a temporary fix for her for a while because I hadn’t been able to find the actual piece so thank you very very much to all of you for the great and helpful info!
This was very helpful. I looked everywhere for the part and didn’t even realize on my 2002 Ford Escort I already have a spare still attached to the brake pedal. I am going to fix it as soon as I can. Too bad my battery is already dead beyond repair.
Thank you very much!!! This was very helpful.
My 2001 Escort battery kept dying because the brake lights would not shut off. I saw that a part was broken on peddle and my search brought your blog!!!! I found the spare and fixed it in 5 minutes! You rock! Thanks!
Thanks guys. You saved me 95.00 electronics diagnostic, and God knows whatt else.
I went to the Ford Dealership and all they had was the black Mazda rubber stopper part for my 1999 Ford ZX2. The part was $ 3.50. I got two.
I HIGHLY recommend purchasing 2 of these rubber stoppers because the second (there are two mounted on the pedal) will go out eventually.
I had my 15 year old son place the stopper on the car brake pedal just outside the Ford dealership parts department front door and drove off fully functional.
I feel like I dodged a huge bullet on this minor issue. Your the best. : )
So glad I found this website. Saved me some $$$ taking it to the dealer. Had the same problem on my 1998 Ford Escort. Used the idea that Pat said above, used a rubber round felt pad you use on the bottom of a chair and stuck that right where the blue stopper goes. Tried to use the spare spacer but that broke off right away. Thanks again!!
Glad to find the problem was not bigger pain than it is – I dug about on the net and found the following part numberfor Ford using Mike number as the starting point (Thank You Mike):
Not an endorsment:
http://www.texasmotorsfordparts.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=searchCatalogOEM&siteid=214462
Ford
Item Number MSRP Core Price Price
E7GZ7583A $3.20 $0.00 $2.39
RUBBER,STOPPER
Just so nobody else pulls a bone head move like I did make sure you are working on the brake switch, and not the cruise control switch! The blue switch to the left is the cruise control, it’s a twist lock part, very easy to remove. The brake light switch is to the right and is held in place by a nut. I spent about 3 hours mucking around with the brake fluid, emergency parking brake, changing out the (wrong) switch several times before I figured out to play around with the switch to the right… /facepalm.
Thank you very much for the information on this page, it’s going to save me a bunch of $$ (when I return this cruise control interrupter switch), too bad it couldn’t save me from myself! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your bone-headed move! Wish I could say I’ve never been there.
My 97′ ford escort has the same problem right now. Im glad I called a ford dealer and got the part ordered for about 5 bucks. I’ve been looking all over at auto repair shops and they just continued to to tell me to replace the whole brakelight switch mechanism. Now the tricky part of putting my super glued nub back in temporarily until the part comes in tomorrow. Getting that piece in is tough. Any tips?
Jason, An elderly neighbor lady friend just came to my door with this problem. I had no idea what it might be. I checked all of the knobs and switches, to make sure nothing was turned on inadvertently (she’s 86 years old). I came home and Googled 1999 Ford Escort Brake Lights On, and up came your. sure enough, when I went back over to her garage (with flashlight in hand) and looked on the floor, there was the broken blue button! We’ve just installed laminate flooring and I have a lot of the industrial floor pad material around, and it worked like a charm! Thank you so much for posting this invaluable information. You saved an older person from having to deal with a dead battery, or an expensive trip to the dealer.
@Holly – The only tips I and the commenters above have is to push the nub through the hole rather than attempting to pull it from the other side. Aside from that, if it’s only temporary you could always use some tape.
@Jim – It feels great to see this comment list grow over time with more and more people that have found this page and fixed their own problem! I really appreciate that folks take the time to share their experience here.
Went out to a dead battery today. Jump started the car and realized the brake lights were stuck on. One google search later, I found your blog. Problem solved. Thank you.
Jason,
Great article, great sketch and great info in the responses! I took the above Mazda part # from Mike & went to the nearest Mazda dealer. They had the part in just one day & it only cost $3. I liked Jam’s idea for depressing the brake pedal far enough to get the stem in, but had no help available. In the end, the only tools needed were a headband light, contortionist skills, and strength. My 99 Escort is back on the road!
Wow, the lifespan of that rubber stopper must be coming to its end. Lots of new posts lately. Glad this is still helpful. Since then I’ve sold the ’97 Escort but my ’02 Escort is still on its original rubber stoppers so far!
My brake lights locked on last night. Thank you all for your posts! I will try to fix this tonight using all of your tips!!
Awesome, thanks for all the part numbers!
I need that bumper/bushing/plastic mushroom for my clutch pedal. Without it I cant adjust my pedal height properly which throws off the free play adjustments.
My brake pedal stop pad also broke years ago and ive been using electrical tape wrapped around the bracket to engage the brake light switch…
same problem! thanks this website. there is extra one on the car, but still order two from the following website with free shipping
http://www.shop.pdcshipping.com/main.sc
thanks again
Oh yes, how did our ancestors survive without the Internet? The same thing happened to me. I was thinking it was some very expensive clutch problem, but I remembered the blue rubber disk that was laying in the floorboard a couple of days before, and fortunately I saved it. Just as happens with most of us when we need some silly little piece, those are the worst to find anyone who knows what you’re talking about. This forum saved me from certain financial death at the hands of a local repair shop, not to mention what Ford would have done to me. Thanks a million and double thanks for the part numbers.
This post is a godsend. I had the same exact problem and nobody had any idea what I was talking about. Thank you!
Thank goodness this blog exists! My brake lights wouldn’t turn off on my 97 Escort and I wouldn’t have known the source of the problem until I saw this post and numerous references to the blue rubber stopper, which was indeed lying on the floor with the stem snapped off. Thanks everyone for their comments and recommendations!
I thank God that I found your site after driving home from work and noticing that my brake lights were still on… My wonderful wife (a former kindergarten teacher) had some foam that I used along with poking through a flathead screw to perform the repair. I have 3 square pieces of foam taped together – one over top the screw and two that the screw is poked through. Works for now – hope it lasts!
Just had this problem with our 98 Ford Escort. We ended up using the felt pads you use on the bottom of furniture. To my amusement… I see others on here had the same idea. The guy at Autozone actually knew what the problem was and told us you could use just about anything. He suggested sticking a bolt or screw in there.
However the real adventure started while trying to fix it. After my husband spent 2 weeks taking the fuse in and out and forgetting to take it out and running the battery down… I was convinced I found the spot where the problem was. The husband wouldn’t let me do anything until he could see what I was taking about. (That never happend) He ended up getting stuck hanging upside down between the seat and steering wheel. I had a good laugh.
He let me do my thing after he flip floped out of the car backwards and up-side-down. It only took a second. However it wasn’t easy to hold the pedal down while trying to place the piece. You really do have to be a contortionist!
Needless to say… The blog was a help, especially the diagram. I used it to show my husband I wasn’t crazy so he could see what I was talking about. Lol!
1 new battery later and a 1 minute Google search and the problem is fixed. Thank you so much. I found the blue button on the floor board and laughed histarically at how easy and accurate this is. I ended up drilling thru the middle of the button and zipped tied it back in place. Great solution…and the 99 escort rides again!!!
O geez I wish I had Google’s the problem before I kicked in one of my brakelights lol…. Even tho my escort came with a spare stopper this is going to be an expensive fix for me=P
Another person chiming in to say thank you! We were able to superglue it back together, and so far, so good!
Thanks so much for this info. I had same issue as most everyone else. Luckily the spare (black, not blue, and on a separate flange of metal behind the clutch pedal on my wife’s 1999 Escort) came out of its holder and went back into the brake pedal all in one piece.
I was just getting ready to try and rig something up when I decided to google search the problem. I didn’t realize what I had initially saw was actually a spare. I thought it was something else at first glance.
Thanks again from a fellow Nebraskan who has spent a lot of time fishing in the Bohemian Alps.
Well it lasted about a month with the superglue before my wife went out to find another dead battery and crumbly bits on the floorboard. I should have bought the replacement once the temporary fix went in, but oh well. Thanks for Matt SA’s comments (and everyone else’s contributions!), I found a local dealer selling E7GZ7583A for $3.20.
If anyone is local, it’s Bankston Ford off of Cooper and I-20 in Arlington.
THANK YOU! This just happened last night, so glad I found this website.
Thanks for the information. Have a 99 Ford Escort. Same exact problem and part was in pieces in the floor.
Like mentioned by others, there was a spare to the right. I pulled out the spare and put it in place and it worked without a hitch.
Thanks again from all.
Lol this is a great site, happened to me earlier today when I parked at school and saw that my brake lights were still on when walking away. Sure enough, that little blue stopper was on the floor. I toke a dime and some JB weld to hold it over the hole, so far so good. Ill go to the Ford or Mazda Dealer later this week. Thanks for the site, and others commenting. I am still laughing when the lady talked about her husband getting stuck upside down under the dash.
This blog just keeps savin’ butts. Consider my butt saved. I recently had to replace my ZX2 with another due to some horrible engine problems. The replacement car was running decently until yesterday when it was completely dead. I blamed the remote lock system because it was aftermarket. I got a jump today and it started back up, picked up groceries and came back. That’s when I noticed the brake lights. Good ‘ol Google led me here and I found little blue pieces on my floor board.
Thank you Jason!
i had the same issue last night rigged it with a piece of card board till i got home to a computer and seen the picture diagram and noticed the little blue part luckily their was an extra sitting to the right of the break switch thanks Google.
thank you Jason
I would like to thank everybody that has posted on here to help others. You certainly saved me from purchasing a new battery and/or alternator. Thanks again!
On the ZX2, the switch is installed through a metal plate with jam-nut/lock-nut on either side. Simply remove the electrical connector, loosen the locknut, thread the switch thru as far as it can now go, tighten the locknut, re-connect the electrical connector. Check to see if the leghts are off. Press the brake pedal and check to see if the lights come on. It might take some fine tuning but it is adjustable.
Last week replaced rear struts on 1999 Escort sedan. Had to remove wheel hub as the upper strut to knuckle bolt would not come out (necessitating the removal of the hydro line to the wheel). A day after replacing the strut and getting the wheels back on the car the brake light came on and would not go off. Thought it was something I did (or did not do) in replacing and bleeding the hydro line. Found this post and remembered the blue rubber pieces on the floor. I used the spare (it is an automatic) to replace the broken stop and all it well. Thanks for the post. I may contact Mazda for replacement part just to have on hand.
Ahhhh!! Thank you SOO MUCH!! I’m a single mother with limited income and you just saved me from spending who-know-how-much at the mechanic. I had found that “little blue thing” earlier & had no idea where it came from. As soon as I started reading this blog I had a light bulb moment. (no pun intended) Thanks again!!!
I had this happen yesterday with my 89 year-old MIL’s escort. We had run a few errands and discovered that the brake lights were on with the engine off. I located the spare rubber dohicky but the stem broke off when I tried to put it on. I’ll be getting a replacement tomorrow and hopefully it will also cure the problem of the car not shifting out of park. Until I’m sure that problem is fixed, that car is going nowhere.
tHIS HAPPINED TO ME LAST NIGHT. i GOOGLED IT TODAY AND FOUND THIS, aND WENT OUT TO LOOK IF THERE WAS A SPARE ONE AND SURE ENOUGH WAS, 2 MINS LATTER PROBLEM SOLVED!!! tHANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH, REALLY SAVED MY BEHIND ON THIS ONE!!!!
genius. letting the glue dry on my cork as we speak… thanks!!!
I called the parts store… They had no clue what i was talking about! The stick back of the peice kept breaking off after i glued it while i was trying to get it back on the brake pedal. So, I glued the flat top of the peice without the stick back straight to the metal between the brake release button and the metal…. been working like a charm!!!!
I had this problem nearly two years ago, with my 2000 ZX2 S/R. When I saw the blue plastic button on the floorboard, I suspected the brake light switch had broken. But when I finally wormed my way up under the dash, I saw the spare button and figured out how it worked. But I couldn’t position myself to get both hands up there, so I used packing tape to hold the stemless button in place.
That was fine, until yesterday. With the temperature at 105ºF, my wife had to help jump-start my car, and, once that was accomplished, I found the brake lights stuck on.
Nice to know that I can now fix it for ~ $4 for the button. And $45 for a replacement battery.
Thanks for the information, guys!
When this happened to my ’98 Escort Sedan I tried Gorilla glue on the stem and it lasted less than two weeks. We’ve had about a week of 101-105 temps and the glue soon gave way.
I just finished putting a bolt in it for a temporary fix. By the way the “spare” button that folks are finding is actually the contact for your cruise control disconnect switch. If you don’t have cruise the button was installed at the factory anyway. Thanks
Just fixed my car that had this problem. Thanks for the blog.
…..and the testimonials continue!! Blue stuff on mat… Google….bohemian blog… money saved!! This info is HUGE, especially in this economy. Thanks for sharing and God bless you all!
Thanks Jason and Mike. Same problem, and the Mazda replacement part works perfectly!
Same issue here with a 2002 Escort. Called up Ford and said they were $3.42/piece and I had to buy minimum of 5 (aka $17.10). I’ll probably rig up one of the ways explained about to save $. Thanks for all the great ideas everybody!
Minimum of 5? What individual car owner would ever need more than 2 at most? These companies need to learn that not everything needs to be profitable. Especially when it comes to a little part like this. They should give them out for free. Maybe we’d all be more likely to buy another Ford after our Escorts finally die. 😉
I had no idea, when I put my question on your blog that I would get so much useful info, same as everybody else, I was taking my 1995 Nissan Altima to the garage. The crumbled black rubber pieces saved the day. I haven’t tackled it yet, but can’t wait to try. Thank you soooooooo much for this website, and I can’t wait to read everything else you have on here.
Awesome post! My car died overnight and this morning, i found the little blue pieces. I had no idea what they were, and I can’t believe googling “ford escort small blue plastic disc broke off by pedals” actually worked!
I just loosened the switch with a 17mm wrench, screwed it in far enough that it didn’t need the bumper anymore and tightened it up again…. viola, problem solved for free with a wrench and 10 minutes of cussing because being a contortionist is required.
Add me to the list of people who found this blog helpful to fixing the problem. Same thing as others reported with a 2000 escort zx2… was my neice’s car, and she told me what was wrong. Did some google-fu, read this blog, and went to her place… sure enough i found the pad in the floorboard, heh. EASY fix. there was a spare pad near the brake pedal, but it broke when i tried to install it. $5 from the ford dealership for a new one.
btw, here is a youtube video that shows EXACTLY what to do to replace the part:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFq_aydwUs
I just wanted to say thank you all for the helpful info so i also could fix the same problem, it was just a paid to think something so small could cause a big problem. Also i just came from the Ford dealership and got a updated part number-E7GZ-7583-A (BUMPER). This was a black one for 3.80 but it took longer to get it then to put it in.Once again thank you all for the info.
This is crazy…I have the same car. the same exact thing happened to me and I found the blue rubber piece on my floor board. This is very helpful thank you for blogging it!
I do not know anything about cars except to fill up on gas when it says it’s empty. This same problem happened to my ’02 escort zx2. I found this site was able to find the blue pieces everyone talked about, glued them and fixed the brake light issue. I already called the Mazda dealer and got the part ordered this morning. Thank you all so much for the detailed description and the part numbers to the new piece. It was a life saver! If I can fix this issue in 30 seconds with absolutely no car knowledge at all, anyone can. And it’s all because of everyone’s helpful hints on here! Thanks again!
Thanks so much. I found the extra blue piece to the right and was able to put it in without any trouble. I was worried I would have to take it in! Thank you so much for the help and drawings. Saved me a ton of time and effort. 🙂
I talked my roommate through fixing his “stuck brake lights” on his 1997 Mercury Tracer using this website! Just wanted to let you know you solved yet another problem! 🙂
OK, great information. Found the part at my local Ford dealership. Three bucks. Brought it home, ready to fix it. My issue is that on the 1998 Ford ZX2 I can’t get the break assembly far enough forward by depressing the break pedal to fit the rubber stopper into the hole. So close but so far away. Any suggestions?
@Joe Sorry, I’m not sure how to get around that limitation. Can you get somebody to depress the pedal with their foot while you are under the dash? I know the break pedal can be hard to depress while you are awkwardly squished under the dash.
Thank you SO much for the tip! The exact same thing just happened to my 1997 Mercury Tracer (the Ford Escort’s twin), and happening upon this post saved the day (and probably quite a bit of money)! It would never have occurred to me that the odd, blue scrap of “trash” I found on the floor of my car was the key. I’ve already passed along this tip to the other Escort owners I know.
Thank you!
I was in a rush to get this problem fixed the other day so i took it to my mechanic before i googled it…he charged me $25 and 3 days later it happened again. i decided to google the problem and found out that he just used the spare bumper which was also brittle. gotta love mechanics for charging $25 for that 🙂 next time i’ll google my problem first
That’s too bad, but considering that they probably bill at least $60/hour for labor, they didn’t do you too bad. It probably took them 20 minutes to figure out the problem. A really good mechanic that wanted your loyalty would have billed you $25 and then explained what they did. You would have learned something, appreciated their honesty and been more likely to bring your bigger problems back to them to fix.
But most importantly you figured out how to fix the problem yourself!
Awesome post. This is what the Internet is all about! Also, Gorilla Glue did me very well here. For the first couple weeks of it being broken, I was stuck crawling under there and ripping the wire out every time I was done driving in order to keep the battery from dying haha.
Thanks!!
I hope I see this sooner. Just got my Toyota serviced for this reason, the tiny rubber costs me USD 1.50 but the labour charge is 10 times more expensive than the rubber!
My husband was scolding me not getting enough info from the foreman how to prevent this problem, then – ah huh! This is the answer, heartbreak though knowing we could have same the money by DIY ourselves.
I found this very helpful, however I do have a new problem I hope someone can help me fix. I have a 1998 Honda accord..black rubber brake light switch fell apart. I used super glue to put the pieces back together. Then I glued it to the position it belongs, on the plunger for the light switch. I waited 24 hours for it to dry. The next day I started the car, stepped on the brake to drive away but would not shift int drive. The rubber stopper fell off again and now the metal plunger is glued INSIDE the switch. How do I get it out? As of now the cat “thinks” the brake pedal is not engaged.
Great info. I tried to find out if the pad was part of the replacement brake switch or not and Ford tech support wanted $19.00 just to answer my question online. What a rip, $19.00 info for a 3 dollar part. Many Thanks to you!
So, this finally happened too my 2002 Escort! Obviously, an easy fix when you know what causes the symptom.
I actually was able to use the spare rubber stopper in this case. So far it’s still holding together.
Had this issue on my fiancés 99. There wasn’t much left of her stems to the rubber pads. So I ended up trying a different route. I used license plate screw covers. Just (2) 8-32 screws, (2) washers, (2) locking nuts, and (2) of the two piece license plate screw cover caps. We’ll see how well this works. I’ll repost if I have any issues with this method.
Thanks! I am using the second one for now and I have one on order from the local Mazda dealer. Autozone treated me like I was asking for a UFO part! (Despite showing them the spare one)
Yeah, my 2002 Escort finally had this problem. I used the backup one but it crumbled into pieces within a month. Ended up ordering the Mazda part online. It was priced at $1.50. Plus about $15 shipping and handling! Oh well, it was worth not driving over to the dealerships and having a long conversation. 🙂
Toyota Rav 4, 1997, had the same issue. This article was super!!!! I went to the dealer for the cushion which costed $1.61 but I was told $60 for labor. I simply fixed it myself in less than 1 min. Thanks for the advice!!!!
My daughter’s 2002 escort zx2 has this problem. I can’t seem to locate this “spare” that people are speaking of. Could someone tell me precisely where this spare would be? (A pic would be great!)
Hers is an auto transmission – does that make a difference?
Thanks in advance.
OK – I see now that someone mentioned that the “spare” was actually part of the cruise control switch? Is this accurate or is there actually a spare??
Thanks.
A round refrigerator magnet also works well in a pinch. Its a 5 sec fix that will last much longer than anything soft.
Thanks! Was scratching my head about this little blue pad that fell on my foot. Was going to take it to my mechanic. Saw this thread so called up Mazda but it was special order. Ford dealer had them so I got two. Popped one into theclutch lever and voila! Also cruise control works again as the switch now actuates properly.
@Mike W: Not sure. CRUISE CONTROL? I WISH! 😉
Regardless, any rubber stopper that’s been under the dash as long as the one that just broke is probably not long for this world. You’re better off getting a new rubber stopper.
Read your post. Went back to look on floor of car under brake pedal. Saw blue rubber disc and blue stem broken. Super glue as per your follower’s posts and brake lights off now. ( Yes, very tricky trying to fit myself under steering wheel.) Wonderful discussion and will now check with Ford dealer as Auto Zone did not have part.
Thanks for the great tip. My 98 Corolla brake lights would not go off. I called several garages and they said I needed a new brake light switch at more than I wanted to pay. After reading your blog I checked on the floorboard and found a dime-sized piece of black plastic. CarQuest sells them for a few dollars and gave me advice on how to replace it myself. Thanks for your information.
My 1998 Accord had this happen.
I took a screw and a rubber washer …and a nut to hold it together. Fixed! I doubt a metal screw is going to shatter like the plastic parts found on brake light switches so if anyone has their brake lights staying on …try this!
TY SO MUCH! You’ve no idea how you just saved me. I’m a pizza delivery driver, so I use my car.. ALOT. During my shift tonight I noticed after getting out of my car to go to a customers door. That all of a sudden my brake light’s just remained on.
NOW, I’ve had an issue in the past with the car starter that’s installed into my Escort ZX2 (02′). Where it would randomly turn my cars 1st set of lights on (not full lights), so I assumed that’s what it was doing. But then I noticed the front lights where completely off. So at this point I start freaking not knowing what the problem is.
Google lead me here and you’re article couldn’t be more then helpful. I’m terrible at reading diagrams though, or knowing where ANY thing is in a car for that matter, lol. THANKS greatly to the user who posted the YouTube video, that saved me and I’m greatly appreciative for it.
Went into my car with my flashlight (dark out, midnight here) and sure enough? Saw those same exact blue pieces littered on the floor near my break pedal. Only found one at first, and then looked again once I figured out where the pieces go in the brake. To find the other one, so apparently BOTH broke off.
Luckily for me, I had a lil paper envelope in my glove compartment with 2 front license plate screws. They’re not exactly “flat” at the top but at least I have something in place to turn the lights off now so my battery doesn’t die.
AGAIN, THANK YOU so much to the user who posted this you’ve been a great amount of help! =)
Well, yes, I have the blue plastic thing on the floor.
Found some videos etc. and BTW someone posted the Ford Part #
e7gz-7583-A And it’s called a Brake bumper.
One dealer wanted me to buy 5 but the one closest has them in stock for like 3.50. Wish someone would post a diagram to show where the spare is, but guess I’ll find out when I finally get in there.
Driving my Mercedes for now…poor me, but it doesn’t get 30 mpg!
This was so helpful in diagnosing the problem. I first just duct taped the old piece on temporarily until I could get the part. I got the part, but cannot get it into place. I can’t get the little post into the hole. Do I need to disassemble the switch? For the time being, I have reattached the old piece again, this time with electrical tape. That may be the final solution.
Hi, Do you have any other suggestions if it is just one light staying on? The switch was replaced 3 months ago and still good, new bulbs, no parts found and fuses also good. I found one post that said a spacer between the cruise control and brake sensor fell out but I don’t have cruise control and no misc. parts on the floor. Thanks
Thanks for doing this. Nice to have the part number for a call to the dealer tomorrow. I found the blue disc and put it in place. But it completely fell apart. Now I have it wedged in there between two pieces of plastic from a mail ad. Thanks Xfinity. Tomorrow, I’ll get a replacement part.
That “spare” is actually for the cruise switch. It does work fine to swap it over, but if you hit a hard bump or just think about putting your foot on the brake, your cruise turns off like you are braking. Nothing major but kinda scared me the first time it happened. Thought car was dying hehe
Oh, that makes sense. Unfortunately, my Escort doesn’t have cruise control. Thanks for this additional info!
hey, Jason. just want to say thank you, this quick guide helped me out big time. Didn’t know why my lights were staying on but stuffed in a folded business card and it was an easy fix.?