I have a 1994 Pathfinder SE 4WD auto with 211k miles.
On Sunday morning, my car would not start so I used my wife's CR-V to jump my battery; drove to work fine except the ABS light was on, which has never been on before. When it was time to go home, the battery was dead again. I tried using a jump-box from work, but it would only get enough power for the lights/clock. Then I tried using a friend's Dodge Caliber to jump, and that wouldn't give it enough power to turn anything on.
Took the battery to AutoZone and they confirmed it was a bad battery. Once I had my new battery in, I made sure it worked (success!) and had to run inside for something. Coming back outside (walking towards the rear of the vehicle) I noticed the taillights/brake lights were on, even though the car was off. The cover to the lights was hot to the touch, and the bulb itself was smoldering hot. Ended up getting out after burning my thumb, but now I'm driving without taillights. I'm guessing that's what killed my old battery, the lights never turning off.
Any ideas how I can fix this? Or why the ABS light came on only after jumping it? I'm sure these two issues are related, I just don't know how.
Thanks in advance.
Edit: Found the fuse for the brake lamps, looks to be in good condition. Removed it to keep my new battery from draining.