An electric motor brush subassembly includes a housing base, a housing cover, a brush, and a constant force spring. The brush is mounted between the housing base and the cover with the coil of the spring mounted adjacent to the outer end of the brush. The axis of the coil is disposed at a right angle with respect to the length of the brush and an unrolled spring segment extends along a side of the brush and is fixed in a slot in the cover. The spring exerts a force against the brush to bias the brush against the motor commutator.