RE: Tail light wont turn on...
I don't know anything about the brakes themselves affecting the light, so I'll leave that to the experts. But I can say that the neon light is prone to going south.
Am I to understand that ONLY the center brake light is not working properly and the other brake lights work okay? If so, then I'd suspect your light is bad. The ballast seems to go bad before the neon tube itself. Unfortunately, you can't buy the ballast alone. You might be able to pick one up from a salvage yard if you're lucky. Or you might be able to find the whole light on ebay once in a blue moon.
If ALL of your brake lights are acting funky and in unison, the first thing I'd check is the brake pedal switch. It's fairly cheap ($20) and easy to replace.
Be aware that the brake pedal switch is very "touchy". You can have it all the way to the floor and let off just a tiny amount, and it'll turn off the brake lights until you stop letting off. If you feather the brakes as you come to a stop, the people behind you will see your brake lights flashing on and off. I've noticed the same thing on many Ford cars. It's especially noticable for me, because my radio picks up noise from the brake lights, so I always know when it's on or off. It annoys me so much that I've changed the way I brake, just to try and keep it steady.
Funny thing is, it works perfectly when the engine is off. It stays on the whole time your foot is on the pedal. Once you start the car though, it gets touchy again. I replaced my mine thinking the switch was bad, but the new one does the same thing.
Anyone who doesn't believe me, just try it yourself. Go somewhere where you can see the reflection of your tail lights from inside the car and try the brakes with the engine running and with it off. I can't explain it.
