And seems to go on and off intermitently . Is this due to the temperature outside?

 

When I test the brakes before I begin driving, If I've just turned the car on in this cold weather, the brakes will not depress all the way. I just wait until the car is warm and the brakes operate normally.

 

So why doesn't the brake light turn off? It does after some number of starts but then it stays on again.

 

This is for a 96 legacy.

I would first look into getting some new brake fluid in your system, especially if it is 1996 OEM. A low fluid level would cause the light to come on. Also, sometimes when pads and shoes wear they can trigger the light to come on. I guess the worst case is that the Master Cylinder is on its way out? Good luck with it!

 

Kevin

Don't forget the possibility of the switch in the master cylinder--it's there to protect the proportioning between front and rear brakes--if it detects the proportioning is wrong it will light the light on the dash. It's very useful as a heads-up on brake line problems and will tell you if you need a bleed too. Since your light is intermittent and your pedal feels weird when the car is cold this is the first place I would look.

Could moisture (and maybe air?) in old brake fluid mess up the switch, causing it to shoot off the brake light?

Thanks guys. I'll bring it to the shop on Monday. These were good descriptions of possible causes.