This just happened a few minutes ago: My car's brake lights apparently came on sometime this evening for absolutely no reason. I parked it this afternoon (no lights on), my father came home around 7:30pm and did not notice any lights on, and now at 10:30pm he looked out the window and noticed a red glow coming from the driveway..we step out, and lo and behold my brake lights are on. I unlocked the car and locked it again and the lights went off. I'll check them again before I go to bed.
Has this ever happened to anyone before? My SES light comes on and off, for which I need to call my service dept. and take it in (I have an MCSa, so it could be the SES glitch) but I haven't heard of a mysterious brake light problem before.

 

curiously, I have found that the brake lights don't work unless the key is in the ignition....

 

I test drove a MCS not long ago in early July - so it was a new 2005 model - anyways, two different occasions I stopped at retail stores and people told me I left me lights on when I had parked and locked it two times. I checked both times and both times it was true - all braking lights were on, unlocked it and tapped brakes and they went off - so I am thinking that it is a stuck switch issue - I mentioned it to the service advisor and he said he'd take care of it - of course he was not concerned as I did not own it and ended up not buying anything that day - I like my Cooper too much!

 

this happens to me once every two or three months. since i have a pretty consistent "Exit the car" procedure, i don't think it is anything i am doing. an unlock and re lock of the car turns them off. What i can't get to turn off is people teasing me at work.

similarly, though this is a feature: signal left or right turn before turning off your car. the signal light will stay on, solid until you release the stalk.

 

Almost ALL the exterior lighting save for the reverse lights and dealer-installed driving lights are controlled by the body control module. Any odd behavior of lights coming on when they shouldnt or not coming on when they should (and the bulbs are not burned out) indicates a problem or glitch with the module. In the case of lights coming on when they arent supposed to, often inserting the key and turning the ignition on (not necessarily starting the engine) will 'clear' certain glitches, other times a disconnect and reconnect of the battery will help too. Brake lights are not supposed to come on with the key off.