When your brake light illuminates, your car is warning you that either there is insufficient brake fluid in your car, the emergency brake is engaged, there is a problem with the ABS unit, or there is a problem with the sensors.
Why is My Brake Light On?
The brake warning light turning on is one of the few things that will truly stop you in your tracks. When your car’s brake warning light illuminates, it alerts you that something is wrong with the braking system. You cannot put off or disregard this problem until later because doing so could be very costly and dangerous.
Brake Fluid – A sensor that determines how much fluid is in the system is located inside the brake master cylinder. When the level falls below a certain point, the sensor activates the brake light to let you know the brake system needs attention.
Parking Brake – Your transmission will thank you for using the parking brake whenever your vehicle is in park but, leaving it in the on position while driving will cause the brake light to come on and possibly send an auditory warning. A sensor that determines whether or not the parking brake is engaged is present in the majority of cars.
The brake light will flash to let you know that the parking brake is still engaged if the sensor detects even the slightest amount of parking brake activation. Even though it may seem safe to drive with the parking brake engaged, doing so can seriously harm your brakes by compromising the brake fluid, overheating them, and wearing down the lining of the brake pads or shoes, necessitating their replacement.
ABS Malfunction – Whether your vehicle has an ABS light or not, troubles within the ABS system can trigger the brake light. If the parking brake is not applied and you have verified that the brake fluid reservoir is full, a brake specialist will need access to the vehicle’s computer to read the codes produced for the correct repair.
Read More: How Long Do Car Brakes Last – When Should I Replace?
Defective Sensors – Sensors located in the brake master cylinder measuring brake fluid or the parking brake sensor may fail, prompting the brake light to come on. The sensor that activated the light should be replaceable by a brake repair specialist once they have identified it.
If the brake light illuminates while you are driving. Keep calm, find a secure place to stop, and turn off your engine. Check your brake fluid after a while, adding more if necessary if it seems low. Check to see if the light has gone out after restarting your car. If it has, you can continue to where you’re going. Ask an automotive expert for immediate assistance if the brake fluid level is normal and the light has not yet gone out. You should not attempt to drive the car, and instead make plans for a tow truck to come get it and take it to the closest auto repair shop. This is for your safety.
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The only thing standing between you and your on-road safety are your brakes. You should always contact a brake expert right away if your car is experiencing brake problems. Your brakes’ condition will be verified by a Certified Technician, who will also present the best possible options for fixing them. At Sun Devil Auto, we are the Brake Experts! To make sure your brakes are in top shape, we provide a free brake inspection. Our technicians will carefully measure the thickness of the brake shoes, brake pads, and drums as part of this inspection. They will also look for any hydraulic system leaks. All of your vehicle’s components, particularly the brakes, can be repaired and maintained by our technicians who hold ASE certification.(Read More: What Does L Mean on a Car’s Gearshift – When to Use Low Gear)
Brake Fluid Levels Are Low
The sensor inside the brake master cylinder, which detects insufficient levels of brake fluid, is another typical source of a brake warning light. This is significant because the function of your brake system depends on the presence of brake fluid, which can completely fail if levels get too low.
Read More: 5 Common Causes For Your Steering Wheel Is Shaking
Each section of the brake fluid in your car controls two wheels. This will offer redundancy and guard against catastrophic failure in the event that one of the two sections becomes faulty. The other section will still be able to operate your brake system if something does happen to one of the sections. The capacity to brake normally will be lost, though, if both sections are rendered inoperative. Therefore, if you notice this light, it’s crucial that you take your car to a licensed service and repair facility as soon as possible.
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While you are driving, do not become anxious if you find yourself in a situation where both sections have failed. However, it’s crucial that you maintain composure because panic can (and will) cloud your judgment and cause irrational and frequently erratic thoughts and behavior. When you go to press on the brake pedal and find that it isn’t responding, it is perfectly natural to react in this way. Instead, simply exhale, maintain composure, and move your car to the nearest parking lot, side street, or shoulder while slowly bringing it to a stop with the emergency brake. Safety is paramount.
ABS Malfunction
The Anti-Lock Braking System, or ABS, is used in the majority of cars today. There can occasionally be issues with this system, as there can be with anything. You’ll notice one of the above-depicted ABS Warning/Error Lights (or something similar, with the letters “ABS”) if your car encounters such a problem.
Your ABS may be experiencing one or more potential errors, and this light may indicate them all. It uses an error-code system to identify the problems. This calls for connecting your car’s computer system to a diagnostic scanning tool that was created specifically for retrieving codes from your ABS monitoring system and identifying the issues they indicate.
Fortunately, an ABS malfunction won’t result in brake failure, so you can continue to operate the car. Simply put, you won’t have ABS’s anti-lock feature. However, it is strongly advised in these situations that you take your car to a licensed service center as soon as possible for repairs. This is because the ABS does add an extra layer of safety by preventing brake lockup, which could result in skidding if you have to stop suddenly.
Burnt Out Brake/Tail Light(s)
For motorists who drive vehicles with this light, this happens quite frequently. Although this won’t directly affect the performance of your car or cause any additional damage, it is still a useful notification. It’s not unusual for a bulb to burn out without our knowledge because we rarely have the ability to see our own brake and taillights. Additionally, if several bulbs fail before we notice them, it may be difficult for us to signal to other drivers when we are slowing down or stopping, which raises the risk of an accident.
Additionally, you may be stopped and given a ticket for having a broken brake light in some states (Texas included). You might even fail your state inspection as a result of it.
It’s a good idea to just get your bulbs replaced if you notice this warning light. It’s a straightforward fix that could stop some rather unfavorable outcomes.
Worn-Out Brake Pads
There is a sensor that specifically monitors the brake pads in some of the higher-end vehicles. This dashboard warning light will turn on when the brake pads are detected to have worn to a certain degree, signaling that it’s time to replace them.
Please do not disregard this light if you see it in your vehicle. If not replaced, worn brake pads can cause disaster because they won’t be able to stop your car as effectively. Furthermore, if your pads are allowed to degrade too far, they may harm your rotors, which would raise the cost of repairs significantly.
A few other signs that it may be time for new pads include:
- A high-pitched squeaking/squealing sound when applying pressure to the brake pedal
- Loss of grip when braking
- It takes longer to bring your car to a stop than usual
- Abnormal “softness” in the brake pedal
- A shuddering sensation in your steering wheel while braking
- Brake System Warning Light flashing
If you notice any of these signs and/or the Brake Pad Warning Light on your dashboard, you should take your car to a reputable, certified service repair technician right away to have the brakes inspected and/or replaced. This will help you avoid any further issues.
Identifying Which Brake Warning Light It Is
Numerous different icons can be found on the instrument panel of your car. The difficulty lies in figuring out which icon belongs to which system. There is more than one potential icon for brake system problems, which furthers the confusion. Here are some of the possible icons you may see that pertain to your brake system:
Brake Hydraulic System Warning Light
This light denotes a problem with the hydraulic brake system. It might be that your brake fluid is low if the toggle only appears occasionally or seems to occur only when turning. If it continues to run, that could indicate a more serious problem.
ABS Error/Warning Light
This light is intended to notify you of any potential problems with your ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) or regular service brake system. The master cylinder reservoir or the ABS reservoir’s low brake fluid levels could also cause this light to come on.
Brake Pad Warning Light
If it is determined that the brake pads are worn out or require maintenance, some luxury car owners may notice this light illuminate in their instrument cluster. The actual pads are represented by the outer, dashed lines. Additionally, worn-out pads may pulse or squeak to alert you that it’s time to replace them.
Parking Brake/Hand-Brake Warning Light
This symbol indicates that your hand brake, emergency brake, or parking brake is currently in use. It serves as a prompt to turn it off before attempting to drive. Electronic parking brake systems are used in some automobiles. You will see this symbol with a wrench symbol underneath if it needs to be serviced.
Press Brake Light
This light is not so much a “Warning” light, as an instructional light. Typically, it will indicate when you need to depress the brake before you can start the vehicle (for push-button starters) or shift out of Park and into Drive/Reverse (for automatic transmissions). If it illuminates while you’re driving, the light is probably broken.
My Brake Light Came on When I Was Driving, What Should I Do?
When the brake warning light initially illuminates while you are driving, carefully stop in a secure location, turn off your vehicle, and then resume normal operations. Your emergency brake is the first and simplest thing to check. Get out of the car and check the level of your brake fluid if the E-brake has been fully released. If the reservoir is low on brake fluid, add more. If the light disappears, keep going and drive your car to a shop to have a fluid leak checked.
Call a tow truck and get your car to a shop as soon as you can if the e-brake is released and the fluid level is normal. To identify the root of the issue, computer data and expert examination are required.
Conclusion
Make sure to get service right away if you see any of these brake system warning lights on your dashboard. It’s probably not urgent, but it’s still a good idea to fix the parking brake and the brake pad wear indicator light. A BRAKE light or an ABS warning light, on the other hand, both indicate a potential issue with your brakes and need to be fixed right away.