1. Burned out bulb. Easiest to fix / find.
OR
2. Fuse blown.
OR
3. Trailer Fuse blown (yes it effects the tail / brake lights)
OR
4. Ground wire not grounding. Hardest to fix / find.
It could be a blown fuse. Tail lights and brake/turn are on separate fuses. Apparently there is not a ground problem since brake/turn works OK.
nothing it could just be the tail lights coming on.
Check bulbs they are double filamented with smaller for brake lights Could be a problem in steering column
Brake pedal switch, wiring, bulbs, bad trailer harness (if there), fuses...
Check the bulbs. If these are OK it could be the switch on the brake pedal arm.
It could be, along with broken wires, unplugged connections, failed switches,
On a toyota tacoma 2003 SR5 when the tail lights are turned on the brake lights come on and when the tail lights are of the brake lights work just fine what could be the problem. If the truck has a trailer plug, inspect the plug and plug wiring for damage and corrosion.
2 things could be the problem. If the "Brake" light is on that usually comes on when you set the parking brake then it could be the brake fluid is low. Check that. If it is the "Brake Lamp" light then check your brake lights. 1 of them could be out.
If you have the same bulb for brake and signal, brake light power needs to be interrupted by the signal lights, The brake circuit has to go through the signal light switch so the problem could be there.
It depends on the exact problem. If it's that both brake lights in the back do not work and the middle one works, it could be your turn signal switch.
Check the brake light switch. This can cause the brake lights to go out. There have been a couple of recalls on the 2001 for this exact problem. Contact your local VW dealer and have the switch replaced.
Check for a blown brake light fuse ( in the fuse panel ) or the brake light switch at the brake pedal could be the problem. The brake light switch releases the shifter lock as well as operating the brake lights.