'03 QX4 - Recently the brake light signal on the dash stays on whether the parking brake is engaged or not. Searches here suggested checking the brake fluid reservoir which I did & its fine. Others suspected a switch under the console which requires removal of the same (Picture 1.) So I removed it & there is a spring loaded plunger underneath the brake lever that comes near to but doesn't seem to touch a copper contact (Picture 2.) I pushed this plunger with my finger and the dash light flickered but still didn't go out. Picture 3 is just another look. Don't want to go too crazy just yet messing with this switch. Am seeking some advice here in case anyone has fixed this problem on a QX4 or Pathfinder.

Well, tried to post a picture but all I get is . If someone could help me with this first, I will upload the pictures.

My old '91 Pathfinder (now retired) had this same problem with its contact switch. You described exactly what I experienced, pushing the plunger and seeing the dash light flicker but not turn off. I was able to remove the switch and dismantle it to repair the internal contact so that it worked properly. I had more time on my hands than money so I didn't even bother finding out what a new switch costs.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:49 pm

My old '91 Pathfinder (now retired) had this same problem with its contact switch. You described exactly what I experienced, pushing the plunger and seeing the dash light flicker but not turn off. I was able to remove the switch and dismantle it to repair the internal contact so that it worked properly. I had more time on my hands than money so I didn't even bother finding out what a new switch costs.

Thank you for responding. I took the PB switch out & cleaned it; light didn't go out. Then I checked some more & learned that the dash Brake light also responds to pedal issues, usually the rubber stoppers that engage/disengage a switch in & around the pedal mechanism. The bumper-like parts wear over time to where they won't push plungers inside switches in far enough to cause the light to go out. I temporarily inserted a thin piece of wood between the worn stoppers& the switch to create more "push." It worked. Now, I am contemplating various long term fixes. Long story, short - it wasn't the switch under the parking brake lever after all. So, if anyone experiences the brake-light-on problem, I suggest checking those stoppers before going through the battle of removing the center console to get to the PB switch.

Update: there are 2 stoppers. One is for brakes (stopping & parking) the other is for cruise control (shuts it down if you hit the brake.) I took the easiest-to-remove stopper out & the cruise wouldn't work. So, I knew then which stopper was which. I reinserted the cruise stopper & before proceeding to the other one, the hard-to-remove stopper, I checked the dash ... no brake light appeared. Drove the vehicle & tested the cruise ... working fine. Somehow all my monkeying around with the stoppers caused things to work as expected ... at least for now. Here is a video that explains the stoppers on an Altima, basically the same as for QX4/Pathfinder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8LhRoVjpXc