Have you check the brake fluid level? Bet it's low.

 

As I stated in my original post. “The brake fluid is not low.” It’s all the way up to the line in the reservoir

 

Identify the proper brake fluid level mark on the reservoir, and ensure your brake fluid is at that level (not any below it). If it still does what it is doing now, replace the cap of the brake fluid reservoir (where the switch is located). You can likely find several good replacements at your local salvage yard. Because the light comes on when using the brake pedal, I'm thinking it is more to do with brake fluid level sensing than it is with parking brake lever position.

 

Does the Owner's Manual have anything useful on what cause that light to turn on? Sorry if I missed that too and see my signature to download a PDF copy.

 

The brake warning light circuit is being closed somehow.
1) You checked the fluid, but NOT the circuit for the reservoir.
2) check the parking brake circuit.

 

Some vehicle models have the low fluid level circuitry built into the cap, thus the replacement cap. You will have to determine if your model has this design.

 

... The only thing I can think that may be causing this is a brake switch that is going bad.

When the brake light switch fails, it fails closed = the rear brake lights stay ON, irregardless of the brake pedal being depressed. This will obviously run the battery down, esp if the car is parked outside, during daytime where the illuminated brake lights may NOT be noticed, resulting in a depleted 12V batt unable to start the car.

The "BRAKE" light on dash is usually universally illuminated when low brake fluid circuitry is triggered, OR parking brake is engaged. Both items will activate that "BRAKE" dash light. You will have to trouble shoot, which is the cause of thenintermittent problem. I would start w/ parking brake switch; maybe the spring is rusty ornlost its springy power to force the switch into "open" position, deactivating the circuit and illumination of "BRAKE" light on dash.

 

We are talking about the brake fluid level switch failing, on the brake pedal switch. The brake fluid level switch has no impact on the rear tail brake lights.

 

This is a very intermittent problem. It could go for days and not come on. The brake light comes on very intermittently pushing on the brake pedal.

WHICH "brake" light is coming on? There is the one that is there for low fluid and hand brake, but also the rear light warning light.

If it is the rear light sensor, that is a totally different issue than the brake warning light...

It is clear that so far most of the posters giving strong advice on this thread so far do not own a gen2 Camry and are giving not-quite-right advice...

-Charlie

 

The fluid level was low. Now it’s not. Problem solved!
Thanks for everyone’s input. Really helped.

 

Please figure out why. Brake fluid doesn't evaporate, so it had to go somewhere. If it was low due to worn pads/shoes, they should be replaced. If it was low due to a leak, you really need to fix the leak.

-Charlie

 

As I stated in my original post. “The brake fluid is not low.” It’s all the way up to the line in the reservoir

The fluid level was low. Now it’s not. Problem solved!Thanks for everyone’s input. Really helped.

OK. This is confusing. We were trying to verify if you had a brake fluid level issue. You said it is not low. But most recently, you said it was, and after filling it, problem is solved. What caused this contradiction?

 

In looking at the level again I realized I was seeing the actual level that was low. Before I was seeing the dark stain on the inside of the reservoir that was in the middle of the high and low. I was looking from the outside and thought that dark line was the fluid level. Before any of this happened I flushed the brake system and replaced the fluid completely. The dark on the inside of the resivoir must have been carried over from the other fluid In the reservoir.