E-Brake light

[Ivan Skare]

My e-brake light comes on every time I go over a bump or take a sharp turn. Any ideas?

[Fraser Cassells]

Low fluid level.... or see if your ebrake handle is loose, up takes very little to trigger the light. your knee may bump it or it may go up and down on its own if loose enough.

[Chris Clark]

Your front pads could be getting low.

[Ivan Skare]

Hey thanks guys...and yes my brake pads are getting worn, time for new ones  

[Jacky Ng]

I thought it only lits up when the e-brakes on and/or there's low brake fluid level?

[Chris Clark]

Hey thanks guys...and yes my brake pads are getting worn, time for new ones  

Wait until the light stays on all the time, then you know your low :wink:

[Andrew Steele]

Are you saying there's a sensor that detects, then a light that notifies you your brake pads are getting low?  I want to make sure I'm fully understanding the above statement.

[Matthew Giene]

Are you saying there's a sensor that detects, then a light that notifies you your brake pads are getting low?  I want to make sure I'm fully understanding the above statement.

I agree, I have never heard of this.  As far as I knew, the light only came on when your E-Brake was on or your brake fluid level was low.

Can someone please confirm?

[Fraser Cassells]

AHEM...The E-brake can also sense when you are having a bad day at work, and massage you all the way home.  :!:

[Anonymous]

Assuming that you don't "top-up" your brake fluid, if it's at the full level when you put new pads in, as the pads wear, the level in the reservoir drops.   When the pads are almost completely worn, the amount of fluid that's dropped down from the reservoir is designed to be enough to trigger the light.

Edit: The above was to explain the question regarding how pad wear related to the light... of course low fluid, the ebrake switch, or the floater for the indicater being stuck could also cause the light to come on.

Incidentally, how the heck did a thread about the brake light become so long?  

Just 'cause it's an [!] that light's got a bigger ego than any of the others.... ohh look at me, I'm important.. I'm a freaking exclamation point.

[Chris Clark]

Well what happend on my ESi, was the light would come on intermittent, bumps would trigger it on and off, I kept checking the resivior it was good. Then it stayed on all the time, I changed the pads and rotors and it went away.

I'm not sure if the fluid going down, when stepping on the brakes triggerd the light or not. But it was on constant right before I changed them.

[Kevin Standeven]

Oh how I love Strongbad...

[Chao C. Yin]

There can also be a brake fluid leak.  I havd had a leaky brake booster for like 2 years, and I need to top off my fluids on every oil change, but it has gradually gotten worse,  finally it leaks so much fluid so fast I gave the car to L&R and they swapped my booster for a bigger one, not only fixes the leak but also firms up the brake pedal a little.