How to change a brake light switch, Chevy Aveo
80Aveo Brake Light Switch
I didn't know my car even had a part called a brake light switch until it broke last week. My 05 Aveo wouldn't go out of park (annoying) unless I used the emergency brake and I had to start my car while in neutral. The biggest problem with a broken brake light switch is that the brake lights no longer register that the brake pedal is being depressed, and as a result do not light up. Dangerous. Turned out this little plastic piece is a big deal in Aveo-land. It is luckily a pretty cheap part to fix, although no car part stores carried it in our area, so we had to buy the part from a dealership. A brake light switch will set you back about 10 bucks if you fix it yourself, and we were quoted a little more than $50 at the dealership.
The hardest part about replacing a broken brake light switch is getting to where it's located. You're going to want to put the driver's seat as far back as it will go, to give yourself as much room as possible. Putting a towel on the ground will help cushion your knees as you become an amateur contortionist in order to reach the switch. A flashlight is also very handy. The brake light switch is located above the brake pedal about 3/4 of the way up the metal bar which connects your pedal to your car. It is secured by a small bracket and it has a little round nubbin (for lack of a better description) which remains in contact with the metal bar above your brake pedal. It is connected to the wiring system with a white plastic piece which kind of resembles an electrical plug/socket combo.
Once you've located the brake light switch, unplug the switch from the electrical system. This is fairly easy to do, but be gentle, since these are thin plastic parts you're working with. Gently twist the brake light switch to the left with steady pressure. It may take a couple of tries, but don't get frustrated and force it. The switch will pop loose and then all you need to do is replace the old with the new.
Connect the new brake light switch to the electrical system, which is by far the easiest part of the process. Getting the new brake light switch to click in place is a little tricky because it is hard to see what you're doing, while getting enough leverage to turn it into place. Be patient. Position the new switch so that the contours match the bracket. Once you have it positioned, just turn the switch to the right with steady pressure. You'll know it's in the correct position when you hear a satisfying click as the switch locks into place.
This is definitely a manageable part to fix yourself. I'm not a girl with a whole lot of auto repair experience, and it took me about 10 minutes to do. If you know what you're doing, I bet it will take about 2 minutes. This is a simple fix, which will save you time and money, and by far the hardest part of the repair is just getting to the part.
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Thank you so much for your description. I am going to attempt it tomorrow.
Thank you so very much... I too have an 05 aveo having the same issue right now thinking it was gonna be super expensive.. you've made my worries disappear!
thank you been having the same problem, and your right it took less than 5 min to fix and i did feel like a contortionist
Hey there,
I have an Aveo (standard). For the info of your followers, the standard version has a switch (neutral safety switch) above the clutch which. If the metal inside this breaks then your car won't start - period.
It is the same proceedure as you describe to change this switch above the clutch. One little hint though it is sometimes easier to twist the switch off and then unplug the wiring. If, you happen to have this problem but really need your car to get to the parts dealer you can by-pass by connecting a wire in the unplugged wiring harness (plug each wire end into respective female receptors and tape with electrical wire). This bipass will allow you to start your car and get to the shop.
I actually took the safety switch apart and soddered the tiny metal pieces back together and then reassembled it and re-installed it. My 9 yr old daughter helped and was over the moon to think that she helped fix the car!
For everyone's info.
Oops,
tape with electrical tape, electrical tape and not electrical wire! lol
Hi Thanks for hints..I have same experience here in Dubai about Aveo 5 its stuck when i try to change my gear i mean my car gear...
Just did this in 2 minutes thanks to you! I couldn't find anything else near as descriptive. Thank you so much for posting this!
Gee, you think you could provide a part number?
i had a problem with getting aveo out park i read and artical about the problem and i fixed it thank you so much
I have the EXACT same problem with my '08 Aveo, and we just tried fixing it ourselves. We know it's the brake switch, but I need to know where to buy it, any suggestions?
Hi Chris! Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I ended up purchasing the part through a local Chevy dealership since I had a tough time finding it other places (and I wanted to be sure it was the correct part for my year and model). Hope that helps!
great advice... worked perfect for me.... 15 minutes and it was in...
Thanks
Thank you so much! this helped a lot!
You just saved me big time. I just replaced the part and the break lights are working great. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
thank you so much, I will def try doing this...:)
My car just did this today, I hope that is all that is wrong with it.
Wow, you were the first hit when I typed in 'chevy aveo brake lights not working' and sure enough, that was the problem! I know how to change a tire and a light bulb, but otherwise no mechanical aptitude here, and it only took me about two minutes. My car CONSTANTLY gets stuck in park, but this was the first time the brake lights all went out - maybe that was the problem all along!
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the help. I was having a tough time trying to find the dang part. I'm good with engines, not electrical stuff.
Thank you thank you!!!! I didnt even know my lights were not working. I just thought it was weird that I couldn't move my car out of park without the emergency break lock and my Dad alerted me to the fact that my break lights were out. Since he isn't here to help me put the part in (I also had it order the part) your instructions have helped me immensely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much ...for posting this I'm going to try to fix my 2007 aveo its a shame we have to do this ..
pep boys and autozone carry the parts, if out of stock they can order it for you at no charge.
Julie 2 years ago
Thanks