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Thought I would post this as general information.
Went out to my car and it was completely dead. Nothing! I checked the battery; which is 4 years old, it measured .2 volts. Earlier in the day I lent my charger to a friend who went out of town for a long weekend. I decided that I would get a new battery, bought a FVP AGM battery from Rockauto as the one I have was getting old anyway. Installed the battery and no problem, car started right up, had lights etc. After I turned off the car and walked around the back I noticed the brake lights were on. After looking I couldn't see what was wrong. More troubleshooting (looking at the parts drawing) I saw there is a little plastic button that presses against the brake light switch when the brake pedal is released. When the brake pedal is released the pad touches the brake switch which turns off the brake lights. Looking at the floor board I found a bunch of black broken plastic pieces which was the brake pedal stop pad. Cheap fix, Acura dealer $3.20, Amazon (Dorman) $4.70 Autozone $7.29. Since I wanted it right away, so I didn't have to keep disconnecting the battery, I purchased the Dorman package at Autozone. I used the black rubber pad and it seems to work just fine. Took about a minute to install. Brake lights now go off, new battery is at 13 volts not running, 14.4 volts when running.
Just thought I would post this in case it helps someone out. As these cars age some of the plastic parts are breaking apart so don't take the simple stuff for granted.
#3 is the brake switch, #4 is the pad the brake switch touches when the pedal is released.
Zeta, I just read your post from 2016. I didn't look before troubleshooting but I should have. I guess they saved a few cents by making them plastic instead of just putting in a bolt.
Happened to me as well (though I noticed it when I would step on the gas pedal and the car hesitated slightly before taking off) while I waited for a new part, I ended up taping a couple of pennies where the stopper sits to bring the switch within limits...I think the fact that cruise control wasn't working bothered me the most.
I bought a cheap stopper on amazon and realized why others didn't recommend; the part needs to be a soft rubber/silicone or it won't fit properly, so I returned and bought the other part on amazon that was still about 1/2 what the dealer wanted after tax and shipping.
I like the penny idea, I didn't think of it. I thought about putting in a nut and bolt but with the access to it the rubber button was so much easier. I hate working under the dash, my back doesn't like to bend that way anymore. Unfortunately, you'll probably find out in about 15 years.
This incident will serve to remind me that the plastic pieces will need to be looked at carefully when working on the car. Too much heat for too long. At least I learned something.
This incident will serve to remind me that the plastic pieces will need to be looked at carefully when working on the car. Too much heat for too long. At least I learned something.
