Brake Light Warnings: Understanding Their Meanings And Causes

The instrument panel of the average vehicle has greatly evolved over the last several years. Not only does the instrument panel let you know what speed you're moving, how much fuel you have in the tank, or what your oil pressure is, it also has a series of warning lights meant to alert the driver when something mechanical needs attention. One of those warning lights is the brake warning light. These lights can range from a basic red word that says "brakes" when something is wrong to a full-on warning claiming brake failure. Either way, knowing what triggers these lights and what you should do about them is an important part of being an auto driver and owner. 

You are low on brake fluid. 

Brake fluid keeps the brake system lubricated and properly pressurized so they can aptly stop your car when you push on the brakes from inside. If the reservoir tank for the brake fluid gets low, it could trigger a warning light in your instrument panel. Check the fill level of the brake fluid reservoir and refill it with the specified type of fluid. Keep in mind, however, brake fluid should not rapidly deplete on its own. Therefore, if you are constantly having to add fluid, you probably have a more serious brake issue at play. 

You have the emergency brake on. 

This problem is not really a problem at all; but rather, human error. If you ever accidentally leave your parking brake on when you shift the vehicle out of park, the brake light will automatically come on to warn you what you have done. In some vehicles, there are two separate warning lights for brake problems and the parking brake is engaged, but not always. So if you have a brake light on and you can't see that anything is wrong, it could just be that you have forgotten to disengage the parking brake. 

Your brakes need to be replaced. 

If you have regular padded disc brakes, occasionally, the brake pads will have to be replaced. Most of these brakes have a small metal piece built into the base of the pad so that when the pads wear away enough, this metal piece acts as a sensor to let you know that your car needs new brakes. This can mean that the brake light will illuminate to let you know that this part of your vehicle needs some attention. 

To learn more, contact a company like Furgersons Garage


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