brake light stays on...help!!!!!

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pb4ugoout

okay so i've noticed now that it's getting colder, not sure if the temp has anything to do with it tho, that my e-brake light is coming on and staying on. it goes off and then sometimes comes back on when i hit the brakes. and i'm not an idiot riding with the ebrake up. it's like an intermittant thing. it's under warranty and i know i can take it to the dealer but if it's something i can fix i would rather do it myself. it's an MSP and i've tried out the antilock to see if it was that and it work fine. i haven't checked the fluid yet but thats next on my list. anything else i should look for?
 
im having the same problem.... as of right now. i do need to change my rear pads though, i dont know if that would have anything to do with it. they are squealing like im butchering a pig.
 
gonna check the fluid when i get off work. i'm hoping its just that but where does brake fluid go. i'm not leaking anywhere. at least i don't think i am.
 
might be interesting to see if the car knows that you have dying pigs in the rear brakes!
 
When the pads wear out the piston in the calipers sits out further, and that's where the fluid goes. More than likely you need new brake pads.
 
Mike R said:
When the pads wear out the piston in the calipers sits out further, and that's where the fluid goes. More than likely you need new brake pads.
yaw
 
yea.... your ebrake light is also for brake fluid...wierd alot of ppl dont know this .... knowledge is power :)
 
SkinnyJoint said:
yea.... your ebrake light is also for brake fluid...wierd alot of ppl dont know this .... knowledge is power :)

actually i do know this. i've owned alot of cars and have had it happen lots. however, i've checked the fluid levels and it's about half an inch above the min line. is it still low? i would think that it wouldn't be low until below that line. and i shouldn't need new brakes. The car only has 19000miles on and i rarely ever brake hard and i never ride the brakes. but i'll check them anyway. gives me an excuse to get my calipers powercoated black
 
It's your brakes. And in the winter time the fluid gets more viscous so it takes much longer to have the fluid pumped back to the reservoir. I drove for 3 months in the winter with my brake light almost always on only to go off when the car was very warm and I didn't use the brakes. Changed the pads and it went away. No worries
 
so a lil above the min line nah souldnt really be a problem but y not just fill it to the max?
here at chachki's (spelling) we like to think that ppl like to express them selfs and if u just wana do the bare minimun with your 15 pieces of flare well...
 
ah ha!

i have the same thing. i thought it was b/c when i installed the MSP struts in the rear, the notch for the brake line wasn't *quite* big enough for the fitting, so i couldn't install the clip that holds it in place. it moves a tiny bit as a result, and i noticed the light soon after i did the install.

at first, it was intermittent: whenh i stopped, it would come on, but if i did the "new driver" stop (not easing up at the last seocnd and thus bouncing th car a little, it would go off; it would also go off if i let the car jerk forward a little. now that it's colder, it stays on all the time.

looks like it's time for some hawks or such. curious: those who're experiencing this, how many miles do you have on your car? i started noticing it around 38k.
 
i have 19000 miles on the car and i check all four pads. i have about 50% on each. the fluid is fine and the pads are fine. what else should i look for?
 
take out your mid console err around that area to get to your ebrake, and make sure all your wires are securely fastend etc
 
I've experienced the same thing...

It's getting colder here and in the morning, for the first 5 - 10 minutes that damn light keeps coming in and off... when the car warms up it goes away...

I have about 25K miles on the car and this is my second fall/winter with it but last year everything was fine.

The brakes do not squeal and the fluid is fine... I'll probably fill it to the max just to see if it goes away...

I wonder if there is some kind of a recall on it...
 
The hand brake light problem turned out to be bad news for me: had to replace rear pads and rotors at 40000 miles (haven't had to replace front pads yet). I did not buy the dealership's explanation, that driving with the handbrake on could be the cause of my problem. However my warranty has expired and I ended up paying the bill.
 
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