I just got stopped by the police - seems my left & right brake lights have just stopped working. The high-level, tail gate light still works.

The fuse is fine and both bulbs look to have good filaments.

is this a known issue? Does anyone know whether all three lights are on the same circuit or switch?

I changed the rear  brake light bulb on my 2012 Forester in minutes thanks to your post 

I was most surprised there’s no induction on the dash. I’ve driven cars that tested their own lights and would indicate a fault… surely this is not difficult?

 

Somewhat yes yet somewhat no. There can be a causal relationship-e.g., rodents bit on wires while it was sitting, something settled in the air consumption, and an entire slew of different things which can happen when a vehicle sits inactively for extensive stretches of time.

 

 

 

Kodi