Why a 2003 Volkswagen Passat wagon rear lights turn on?

You probably have the problem with the faulty brake pedal switch

• this was a recall item. Your cruise control may not work either.

There is a switch that when you press the brake it triggers the rear lights and also tells the cruise control to turn off temporarily. This became faulty on mine over a period of months where the cruise would sometimes work, others not. then the rear brakes kept staying on. Should be fixed for free as it was a recall. **This happened to me today, with the dealership closed for the weekend I was worried the battery would die before I could get it fixed. I tried pulling back on the brake pedal as much as I could with my hand and it turned the lights off.**