I have a 2003 2.0 Jetta and the EPC light came on yesterday. Everything is working fine except for the brake lights. 1 of my brake lights have been out for a few months. I tried replacing the bulbs but it did not help. Now both are out.

I searched online and found that I needed a brake light switch. I bought one and replaced it but I still have no brake lights. The parking lights and turn signals work fine.

I also checked the fuses and checked the bulbs.

Can someone help me please.

7/31/2008 10:12:52 PM

fluid... def. the brake light fluid...

similar prob. on my cousins truck, well its brake related, but check all of your grounds and wires leading up to the brakes.

take plastic panels off and start searchin

7/31/2008 10:14:17 PM

No I checked the fluid already out of frustration. All of the bulbs in this car are plugged into this little board that you can take out. Basically 2 bulbs are at the bottom for the brake 1 in the middle for the turn signal and 1 at the top for the parking light. The others are working fine so it's hard to believe it's a ground. Besides, have you ever pulled the panels out of the back of a jetta? It's such a pain in the ass to put back together.

Is there anything else I can check.

Advance Auto told me that the check engine light would have to be on for it to give codes, but I read online that there are different codes for the EPC.

This is frustrating. At this point I'll be left to hand signals for braking on the way to and from work tomorrow.

7/31/2008 10:32:46 PM

when it gets to "this point" you still have the option of checking the wires.. who cares how hard it is. that is an option that is left. just do it.

7/31/2008 10:40:34 PM

I'll check em out. Do you think I could make a temporary ground to layover the back side of the ground in the pin to check them out? I guess I could try that first and then pull the panels.

7/31/2008 10:47:07 PM

As far as I can find, the wiring seems fine. Can you think of anything else it could be. There wouldn't be another fuse anywhere else besides the main fuse panel inside the drivers door would there?

8/1/2008 10:47:43 AM

Also, if I can't fix this myself is there any suggestions on which VW dealership may be better to go to or is there someone local that may be better. I live on Hillsborough st..

Thanks

8/1/2008 11:15:33 AM

there are 1-2 VW shops that people on here promote. forgot who though.

8/1/2008 12:50:47 PM

friend of mine takes his golf to West German on the corner of hillsborough/western/jones franklin. He always says they do good work.

8/1/2008 1:08:26 PM

aren't there several "don't go to west german" threads on here?

paging beethead

8/1/2008 1:23:50 PM

At this point I'll take it anywhere. I'm still looking up here every thirty minutes or so hoping that someone has by some miracle posted an answer to what's wrong. Thank god I work at a software company in RTP that let's me telecommute if necessary.

I've messed around with it some today as well. I've ran out of things to try to fix it.

Was wondering something by the way. The brake light switch I replaced is a typical plunger device that opens and closes a circuit. I have a 5 speed, so I have to push the clutch to crank the car. The brake has no other function other than stopping (I mean, you don't have to have it to get the car out of park) SO I'm trying to figure out why it has 4 wires on it. I could see it working with as little as two. If I had the time, I'd just put another plunger in there and run a hot wire back there and parallel it to the 2 brake lights and have it ground on the other end. This would be just as effective.

Also, anyone with a Jetta ever notice the handle with the two cables connected it to to the right of the engine. It has to positions. I have no clue what that is. Does that disengage the tranny or something?

[Edited on August 1, 2008 at 2:38 PM. Reason : .]

8/1/2008 2:37:34 PM

The "handle with the cables attached" changes gears when you move the shifter in the car. There is/was a brake light switch recall, not sure if thats causing your issue or not.

8/1/2008 5:49:22 PM

Ok. Somehow I fixed them. I went and bought a test light and just took a piece of paper and drew the wire harnesses and labeled the wire colors and just tested what where each light threw current to on the harness. Parking, hazard/turn signals, reverse, brakes. One brake bulb housing was messed up to where I had to hold pressure on the bulb to get it to light up, so I adjusted the inside by prying it with a screwdriver. Anyway, I have 2 back brake lights now, and no LED, which is strange. That LED light strip should almost last as long as the car. I'm hoping that somewhere along the lines where I've kept switching the brake light switch with the new one I bought the other day, I've somehow got the old one in and it's causing the LED not to work. The switch has 4 wires on it, so it's possible. Thanks for the support.

8/2/2008 4:34:33 PM

brake light switch most likely.

epc basically means a fault in the pedal cluster.. electronic power control or something like that.

there IS a recall on this. or i can look at it for you.. http://www.apex-tuning.com

8/5/2008 10:42:33 PM

you guys ever heard of a dealership busting out the LED of the CEL?

8/5/2008 11:17:43 PM