Don't know if anyone has had this problem or not but when I turn on my night time lights my right taillight also turns on the brake light. I first thought it was the bulb but it's not. Could it be that wires are hittin' or something? I'm the last person to know anything about a car. But I changed the bulbs and still nothing. ideas?

 

I think it's your rear fog light, when you put your fog on only pull the light dial out one click.

 

naw, it's the right bulb. the bulb has two filaments one that goes one when the night time lights are turned on and a second that lights up when the break is applied. on the right side as soon as the night time lights are turned on both filaments light up. I've tried replacing the bulb, could it be the brake light switch?

 

behing your brake pedal is where the break light switch is, maybe that could be part of the problem

 

I have a similar problem on a 2000 s class....

when the car is completely off, sometimes the right side FRONT parking light and REAR brake light go on! Just the right side. Ive seen a CLK do this too....

Any ideas what this could be?

 

These are called parking lights. You are probably turning your headlights one click past 'off'. You'll notice that there is actually two positions to the left of 'off'. Overseas, if you park on a dark road, you can turn the left or right side parking lights on to assist other drivers see your car. Lights on on side toward the street.


ilcarnefice,

I would invest in a stop lamp switch as well. Might be a possible short to ground too, but I would change the $15/ 15 minute part first simply to rule it out.

 

The car had to go into the shop and Mercedes said I had the wrong bulb in there.. But I don't understand how it could have been wrong seeing as how they've always been the same bulbs and always worked in the past.. Needless to say they switched the bulb "supposedly" and it works.. Who knows.. Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

yeah i have a problem when i turn my lights on and pull it out 2 clicks. the right tail light on the trunk doesnt light up. and when i checked there was no bulb. but a metal cap in the bulbs place. the left side has a bulb though. wondering if its a defect from the manufacter. never seen a metal cap in place of a bulb before

 

Nope, perfectly normal. Another function of the headlight switch. When you pull out to first detent = front fog lights/ 2nd detent = rear fog light (only left rear light comes on bright).
Another European feature.
Some people here think its cool to turn em on. I personally think it looks like a brake light is shorted out.

Some have even ran a hot wire from the left to the right and put a bulb in. Personal preference.

John

 

So, indirectly, we were right. The wrong bulb was shorting to ground.

 

I am having the same problems with my CLK55 AMG W208 2001 That my brake light stays on at night left and right side when I even push the brake paddle. But the rear window brake light works just fine. What is the part number did you have for your car for the rear brake lights? I want to make sure I got the correct brake light bulb.
thanks

 

I've recently have had this problem with my car, did you ever find out what was wrong with you're car? please let me know.

 

I had one rear break light that would turn on as soon as I stopped the engine, put it in park and opened the door. Turned out it was because my lights weren't on auto (I turned them off at the car wash 15 minutes earlier). I put them back on auto and no more issue. Thanks for the tip.

 

Someone please correct me if I am wrong but I believe the brake lights are independent of the tail lights, i.e. turning on the lights so that the tail lights are on doesn't activate the brake lights.

But, when you turn on the headlights you can also turn on the front driving lights by pulling the switch one click toward the driver, pulling it toward the driver a second click turns on the rear fog light which on my 03 CLK cabriolet is the left light in the boot lid. This is different than the brake lights which are in the lamp housings attached to the body; those bulbs are dual filament. If turning on your tail lights with the headlight switch also activates brake lights I'd guess somewhere you have the 12V wire going to the taillight(s) also feeding the brake lights. I can picture something like the insulation on the two wires being compromised and the bare wires coming in contact with one another.

If you step on the brake pedal with the headlights off do one or more of your tail lights come on as well?

 

I just bought a wp used clk 430 and I am having issues with the brake lights taillights. When my keys is in and I turn the lights on the left side doesn't turn on. When the keys out or will turn on. Aldo if I press on the bulb on the left side it will make the break light on my trunk flicker but it will not come on when break is pushed. Maybe it's an e lectricsl short?