Most cars have one or two lights on the dashboard that show when the brakes are about to go. At first, all the lights on the dash should be lit up. This is a check of the bulbs; they should go out in a short time. If a light doesn’t go out, then your car is telling you about something that needs to be fixed. You need to change the bulb if a light doesn’t work during the check.
To show one of two things, your car lights up the BRAKE light:
- That your emergency brake has been turned on.
- A half of your brake system has no brake pressure at all.
What should you do if you don’t have enough brake pressure to stop your car?
Brake Fluid and Pressure Problems
There are times when the emergency brake doesn’t work. You should slowly and calmly pull over and stop. In this case, you will have to use the emergency brake for braking. If the light stays on, it means that there is less pressure on one side of the brake system than the other.
There are a few reasons why this could happen:
- There could be a leak in one part of the system, which would make it impossible to keep pressure in the system.
- The hydraulic fluid could be too low to move things.
In either case, your braking will be less effective, and you should get the car fixed before you drive it again.
Amber or yellow lights on cars with antilock brakes show that they need to be checked. This usually says ABS. If this light stays on after you check the bulb, it means there is a problem with the anti-lock braking system. In this case, the ABS controller will turn off the system, so your brakes will work as if you don’t have ABS. In this case, you can drive the car to a mechanic for service without having to be afraid.
