Hey guys...I have a quick question...recently i've been driving around and all of a sudden my hand brake light comes on...for no apparent reason!! the hand brake is all the way down and nothing seems to be wrong but it just bugs me that the light comes on. Has this happened to anyone else?? it's pretty annoying..I have to like wiggle the hand brake handle to make the light go away. I think it might be a sensor problem...what do u guys think?

 

I believe you need to change your brake pads. How many miles do you ahve? im guessing somewhere over 30K ?

 

yahh i'm well over 30K i'm at like 43K...but does having low brake pads cause the e brake light to come on?? I know i need to change my pads also..they are low. I just wasn't sure if that were the cause for the light to come on.

 

something like your car notices how much pressure it takes to close the brake pads or something.

doesn't matter how it knows, aren't you just glad it does and tell syou before it is too late?

 

Yah i'm glad it does that but back to my question...is that the reason why my brake light it comming on???

what happens if i change my brake pads and the light still comes on...then whats next??

 

well, you can measure your brake pads to determine if you need to change them. if your pads are fine, then the next culprit is your brake fluid level.

but over 40,000 miles on your original brake pads seem to mean it is time for a new set.

 

yes.. low brake pads lowers the brake fluid level.. which is what is causing the light to turn on.

change your pads.

 

Thank you everyone for your input...I had my brakes looked at and i'm at like 5% in the front so i'll be changing my brake pads very soon...thanks again for all the advice.

 

Is it an automatic or manual? If it is an automatic do you use it? If you do, do you wait till the car is parked by the transmission or no? If your foot is on the brake on you pull it up on the automatic it will cause it to do that. And if you have a manual, it is probably a sensor or the wiring to the sensor is not ground properly. At 5% you are fine. You can go another 3,000 miles or more on your pads. My pads are at 4% and I have at least 4,000 miles on them before they need replaced.

 

*speechless* If you pull up on the "automatic"???? Do you mean brake lever? Of course that will cause it to come on,that's what it does.

"It might not be grounded properly"?? again *speechless*

And yes, you can probably go another 3000 miles, that's because the light is a warning feature saying, "change your brakes SOON", not... "your brakes are gone and now are eating into the rotors!"

I'm sure your attempt to help is appreciated, but just throwing out random thoughts without true knowledge will just confuse a lot of people, and anger others.

 

lol i dont think the car warns you of having low pads, i have 85k miles on me box, and i have to change my rear shoes for the first time really soon. how they lasted that long i dunno, but their a pressure switch on the handle thats just like the regular brake pressure switch, so when you pull up on the e-brake handle the switch is no longer depressed, so its probably just shorting on something, pull ur center peice around the brake out and check it out.

 

Yes it does, RTFM!!! No nevermind, i'm wrong... tear apart your whole console looking for the short, or other "electrical" problem. And when you find it, post it up with pics. But in the meantime while your looking for the electrical problem, that part could take a while, change your pads and see if the electrical problem MAGICALLY fixes itself.

 

Do you know cars? I apparently not. You don't have to a manual to pull the ebrake once you are stopped and parked. Actually you should do it on all types of cars, automatic or manual. You anger me, because I am sure you think, "gee this is a girl she doesn't know what she is talking about." Despite the fact I am a mechanic on the side. And if you know so much, then what is it? Hmmm? And also FYI I asked my buddies (two of which are master techs and Service Advisors and have been working on cars for over 15 years.) No I checked my brake pads and I KNOW YOU CAN GET 3000 OUT OF THEM. You don't need a light to tell you, common sense and knowing how brakes work will tell you. Apparently you don't know anything.

This forum is full of idiots, I guess my boyfriend was right when he warned me about these kind, there are a lot of uneducated people who are edotistical and who don't know anything about performance or cars in general. Go to school and learn it like I did. Peace out

 

Thank you! Tcsizzler or whoever you are.... listen to this guy. He knows his stuff. This is essentially what I said, not so concise, but tried to say. Thank you Cinderblock. Hence what I said it is not grounded right i.e. shorting out!

 

good luck with the problem, ill run this by my instructor in my brake lab tomorrow (i go to NEIT for automechanics) ill see what he has to say about this. he has been in the field for about 30 years so he might know.

 

What do you know about anything? You are from Pittsburgh, PA so obviously no. You know how I know, I used to live there for a couple of years for school and dude I feel bad for you. There are wires and a lot of electrical connections there in your ebrake. SO please go to school for mechanics please for all of us!

 

ya kate is right. tcizzler, since when does a car let you know when the pads are low, well on an economy car atleast, i may not have a tc, but ive never seen anything in the manual about a 'low brake pad sensor" but whatever, these things always just turn into big flame fests, ive been thanked for my knowledge so someone found it usefull.

 

...
i already explained it above.

low brake fluid level will trip that light... and guess what?

low brake fluid level can be caused by worn out brake pads.

so yes.. indirectly.. but YES, the car will tell you when you have to change your pads... sheesh.

it's not uncommon knowledge people... for those that say otherwise... you should go back to school.

 

sorry squall didnt notice you said brake fluid, never heard of that happening, seeing as my shoes are about as thick as pennies, and mine has never done this, i can see some kinda abs or trac light becuase linked to brakes, but not the hand brake light, that works off of a pressure switch, but whatever, no biggy

 

You must remember that the tC is a different car with a different brake system and a different set of "idiot" lights than the xB or xA.