P061E: Internal Control Module Brake Signal Performance
What to do
Ask someone to check whether your brake lights work correctly, including that they go off promptly when you release the pedal. A brake switch out of adjustment is the commonest cause here, it is cheap to fix, and the pedal feels entirely normal — so nothing tells you from the driver's seat.
Mention if cruise control has stopped engaging, or if the stop-start system no longer works. Those are the usual everyday symptoms and they help confirm the diagnosis.
On an automatic, mention any difficulty shifting out of park, which is the same switch.
Brake lights stuck on will flatten the battery overnight and are a safety issue in traffic, so if that is happening, treat it as urgent.
What this code means
The engine module's internal handling of the brake signal has failed a plausibility check.
The engine module cares about the brake pedal for more reasons than most people expect, and each one explains part of this fault's consequences:
- Cruise control must disengage the instant the brake is touched.
- The stop-start system must not restart the engine while the driver is holding the car on the brakes, and must restart it the moment they release.
- Brake override — if the brake and accelerator are pressed together, the brake wins, which is a direct anti-unintended-acceleration measure.
- On an automatic, the shift interlock requires the brake before leaving park.
Modern brake switches carry two independent signals for exactly this reason — usually one that closes and one that opens when the pedal is pressed. The module checks that they always disagree with each other in the expected way, and this code is that check failing.
A brake switch that has drifted out of adjustment is the commonest cause by a wide margin, and it is a cheap and quick repair. The pedal feels completely normal, because the switch position and the hydraulic action are unrelated.
The everyday symptom is stop-start refusing to work and cruise control refusing to engage, which owners often report as separate annoyances rather than one fault.
Likely causes
Start here
- Faulty brake light switch · easy
Less common
- Corroded or loose connector · easy
- Open circuit in switch wiring · moderate
Rare
- Low system voltage · easy
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
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Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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