What To Do When Your Brake Warning Light Goes On
Published January 19th, 2018
Your brakes are undoubtedly one of the most important features of your car’s safety system – if it fails, it could mean a collision, which is why it’s important to pay attention to your brake warning light.
The brake warning indicator can switch on for a number of reasons including:
- A burnt-out or failed brake globe
- An ABS sensor malfunction
- Thinned brake pads
- If your brake fluid is low
- A park sensor that is either failed or has a malfunction
Almost all recently manufactured cars have an ABS feature, amongst other safety systems, which are there to help prevent accidents. Vehicles with ABS usually have two warning lights: one that lights up in the presence of mechanical problems, and the other for other system-related malfunctions.
If you experience a brake warning light appearing on your dashboard, you should pull over and carry out an inspection. Driving with this light on may mean that your brakes are potentially not working properly, which puts you at risk of an accident. Obviously, this is incredibly dangerous.
The checks:
- Check the brake fluid level. If the brake fluid is low, it will turn on the brake warning light. As the brake pads wear, the fluid in the reservoir is displaced, and when this happens, more fluid is needed to reach the brake disc.
- Some cars are also fitted with brake pad wear sensors. These sensors will alert the driver when the brake pads are getting close to being worn.
- Your brake fluid could also be low due to a fluid leak. Check under your car for any leaks, and if you see a large puddle, do not drive – call a tow truck and have the leak fixed by a reputable auto repair centre.
- Check if the brake lights on the vehicle are working. It is possible that one or both of your car’s brake lights are no longer working and need a globe replacement.
It can be potentially dangerous to continue to drive when your brake light goes on. That’s why you need to attend to the issue as soon as it occurs. Book an appointment online at your nearest ABS Auto Service Centre or get in touch with us today.
Related Tag: Brake Repairs Perth