I have a 1997 Nissan PU XE . the other night, my brake lights came on spontaneously. It was late so I thought somebody was trying to scare me, but there was nobody around. I could not get the lights to turn off so I pulled the fuse. The next day , I found pieces of a black plastic button on the floor board. This is an automatic transmission. Any guesses as to why my brake lights came on and is it related to the button pieces I found?

On my Nissan truck, there is something attached to the brake pedal with wires & a fuse or breaker looking thing connecting the wires (this part 'plugs' together- there are squeezy things on it side to release it & yes, I'm a girl, lol). When my brake lights get stuck on or won't come on, I follow the brake pedal with my hand up to the fuse or breaker looking thing, disconnect it, & play with the plunger thing to loosen it up (it seems to build up debris over time). If this doesn't work, I disconnect it again & turn the part connected to the brake pedal itself & reconnect. This last step always works but sometimes you do have to play around a little with how many turns you make - mine usually only takes one full turn- & which direction you are turning it (one ways loosens the other way tightens). Yes, I'm sure I should replace mine but on my budget, 5 15 minutes of periodic labor will have to do.

There is a small black plastic button that is attached to the break lever arm. It is used to release the break light switch so that it can make electrical contact an activate your tail lights. If the botton has fallen apart the brake lights button has no resistance and will always stay on.