What would cause brake lights to stay illuminated?

Answer 1

this happened to me on my 98 Honda accord and it was because my brake lights and sinal lights were not working properly

Most likely, the brake light switch is stuck.

Have you checked your brake fluid level? You could be dangerously low.

If you mean that your exterior brake lights stay on even when you aren't pressing on the brake pedal, you most likely have a bad brake light switch.

If you follow your brake pedal arm up under the dash, you should see a switch that comes in contact with the arm. It might have been knocked out of position and all you need to do is put it back. If it is in its correct position, it is probably bad and will need to be replaced.

It works like this...when you press on the brake pedal, the arm moves away from the switch, thus turning on your brake lights. When you release your foot from the brake pedal, it contacts the switch and your brake lights turn off.