2002 Nissan Sentra GXE brake lights/side markers stay on, when car is off.......

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Feb 27, 2006
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Cincinnati
The title says it.
Kid's car has the brake lights and the side markers up front stay on when the key is in the off position. He has to remove the battery cable to keep it charged when parked.

First thought when I heard brake lights was the brake switch. Now I'm told some front lights stay on also.

I know a fair amount, but I am not great at chasing electrical issues when it's not 100% obvious.

Anyone that cares to respond, thanks much.
 
On the back of the car, is it the stop/tail bulb or the turn bulb that stays on? This can be hard to tell since they are both red.

The system is real simple-- just fuses and switches control the lights, no computer involved.

Except that there is a relay where the BCM can make all 4 turn bulbs flash on for the factory alarm/keyless system. If that relay is stuck, the turn bulbs will stay on. Also the turn signals would not work. Fuse 5 under the dash supplies the power for hazard or alarm blink.

To tell if it is the tail light circuit you could also look at the license plate lights. These are on the tail light circuit. About the only thing that could make them stay on is a faulty light switch, or as @OVERKILL noted, some crossed third-party wiring. Fuse 38 under the hood feeds this circuit. See if pulling that fuse turns the lights out.

All this assumes that the wiring is stock. If there is an aftermarket alarm system check that first. Usually they will be disabled if you unplug the "brain" box which is almost always installed under the driver's side dash.
 
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