When Your Brake Light Won’t Turn Off: 3 Common Issues with Car Brakes

Brake lights won’t turn off?

It’s important to always stay on top of your vehicle maintenance and to quickly respond to issues that may arise. 

A brake light on your dash is certainly high on the list of items that should never be ignored. While it can be a quick and simple fix, there could be larger issues that could prevent you from coming to a safe stop while on the road.

When your dash brake light comes on, here are a few of the most common issues our OOROO techs are looking for as they diagnose and repair the issue.

1. CHECKING YOUR BRAKE LEVELS 

Most vehicles will show a red “BRAKE” light on your dash, while some European vehicles may show a yellow “!” to indicate similar issues. First, this light can appear when your emergency parking brake is engaged, in which you simply need to disengage the brake and be on your way. If it is not your parking brake, you will need to bring your car in for an inspection. The purpose of the level sensor is to show that you have a leak or the brake pads are getting low. 

Repair solutions may include a brake fluid flush or brake repair. Brake fluid should not be topped off during oil changes or any other time. As the pads wear fluid compensates for the wear and lowers the level in the master cylinder reservoir. 

2. INSPECT YOUR ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FOR PROBLEMS

As we’ve shared in our previous dash light blog post, you may recognize the “ABS” symbol that is associated with this system. Your anti-lock brake system helps prevent your brakes from locking up when you find yourself in a sticky….or more accurately, slippery situation. This can be caused by a dirty or broken wheel speed sensor or an electrical malfunction. 

Our technicians can properly determine the cause of the problem by running diagnostics. 

3. REPLACING DIM OR WORN OUT BRAKE LIGHT BULBS

Not all cars will have a warning light for a dim or burnt out brake light but if you are one of the lucky ones who does, grab a friend and have them quickly help determine if this may be the source of your warning light. If your friend stands behind the car while you press on the brakes, and they are not both lit up, you’ve diagnosed the problem all on your own. 

Now the easy part: call OOROO to replace the burnt out light(s).