Great photos and help with the switch, Thanks!

Last night the stopper/bumper for the brake switch broke and when that happens the brake lights stay on all the time. What happens is the plunger in the switch extends because the stopper is missing and the brake lights stay on. Remove the fuse so the battery doesn't run down. (See the fuse diagram on the inside of the fuse panel cover - it's a 15 amp fuse in the top row, I think position #3 if memory serves.)

General access:
Place drivers seat all the way back and all the way down. Crawl in on your back with your back resting on the door frame and feet on the seat. You will need a trouble light in there as well - use your LED light so you don't get burned.

For a temporary fix you need to put something in between the plunger and the metal bracket.
1. With your right hand - Rotate the cruise control switch loose as per the instructions above - i.e. bottom of the switch rotates to the left from your viewpoint. You don't need to remove it, just let it pop loose. This gives you just enough room to get to the brake switch.
2. With your right hand - Rotate the brake switch loose as per the instructions above. Again, you don't need to remove it, just let it pop loose.

By following this procedure you don't need to get creative in holding down the brake pedal while the engine is running, or partially disassembling the brake pedal assy. or any of the other crazy suggestions out there.

Use a felt pad, one of those for under furniture legs. Remove the backing and sticky it into place with your left hand reaching above and around the steering column. With your right hand - Re-install both switches and you have a good temporary fix.

Some suggestions put in bolts with the head thickness equal to the stopper thickness and there are other ideas as well. Since it's the brake lights it is safety critical and the dealership only charged me $10.13 for the stopper (4/15/15).

To install the stopper.
1. Loosen both switches.
2. Remove your temporary fix, if any.
3. In my car I found the stoppers exactly reverse of the photos above, i.e. the flat surface away from the switch and the cone toward the switch - instructions below work for my orientation although the same principle will work from the other way round as well, just working from the other side of the metal bracket.
3. Reach around and above the steering column with your left hand.
4. If you try to push it in as a straight-in press you most likely won't have enough hand strength - SO...
5. Angle the stopper so as to engage the groove in the stopper with the metal bracket on the side away from you.
6. Push with your thumb towards the engaged side the it will pop right in.

It takes longer to set up and put away the extension cord and trouble light than to actually do the work. 15 minutes max.

 

Hey everyone, I'm new to forums and would like to thank everyone for their advice and helpful tips. I am having a hard time disconnecting the stop light switch from the connector (back part that looks like a plug). I'm trying to replace it. Let me know if something is unclear. Thank you.

 

These directions are sweeeeeet!!! Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed instructions!!! Priceless!
I too had the problem of brake lights not turning off. Previously, I found one of the brake light switch (stop lamp switch) stoppers missing, so I just super glued a rubber bumber in it's place and it fixed the issue. Recently, about 6 months after the first fix, I found that the brake lights again would not shut off. Unfortunately, the rubber bumbers were all still in place. So I ordered a new stop lamp switch from dealer, we shall see if it fixes the issue.

I just performed the removal, I must say the directions here are spot on so far! Parts to be delivered tomorrow, we shall see if it fixes the problem.

 

OK so I replaced the stop lamp switch per the awesome instructions shown, and the brake lights (stop lamps) still stay on when the car is shut off. I also replaced the rubber bumper to make sure the switch is pushed in when the brake pedal is released.
Anyone know what else could be causing the brake lights (stop lamp) to remain on? I've removed the 15A fuse for now to keep the car battery from draining...

***UPDATE***
I decided to remove the rubber bumper I previously installed and found that the plunger on the switch had worn a cavity in the rubber stopper that I couldn't see. Basically, when the switch was supposedly pressed in, the cavity actually allowed the switch to remain released. So I glued some pennies together and that worked...