Detail understanding of Brake System Warning Light
The brake system warning light is the most important warning light on your vehicle’s dashboard. When this light comes on, it means that there is a problem with your car’s brakes. It is very important to understand that this brakes system is one of the most critical systems in your vehicle, and it is responsible for keeping your safe when you drive. If you are out on the highway or just pulled into traffic, you should stop right away when the light comes on.
Today we’re looking at the top reasons why you might get a warning from the brake system light, what you should do and just why you should never ignore it.
What Is the Brake System Warning Light?
The brake system warning light is a dashboard indicator that goes on when there is a problem with your car’s brakes. It looks like a red or yellow icon on your dashboard and can be in the shape of a circle with an exclamation mark or just say the word ‘BRAKE’. There are many reasons why your brakes might be a problem, it could be something very small like your parking brake is on, or something more serious like you have low brake fluid or your brake pads are worn out.
As soon as this light comes on, your car is telling you that something’s wrong with the braking system and it needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
Common Causes of the Brake System Warning Light
1. Parking Brake Is Engaged
One of the most common causes for the brake system warning light to be on is because the parking brake is still engaged. The warning light will stay illuminated as long as the parking brake is even slightly on. Driving with the parking brake on will create extra wear and tear on braking components, so make sure the parking brake is fully disengaged before driving.
2. Low Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is a key substance that keeps your vehicle’s braking system functioning properly. The brake fluid circulates through the brake system to send the pressure from your foot on the brake pedal to the brake calipers. This stops the vehicle so the car and all the passengers inside the vehicle don’t crash into anything. Either an eventual leak or an evaporation of the fluid will cause brake fluid depletion over time. Wear of bearings and any other parts in the brake system can also cause a slow decline in the amount of brake fluid in the reservoir. In turn, the brake system warning light will come on when the quantity is too depleted.
Low brake fluid, when it becomes an unusually recurring problem, can suggest that something else is going on – perhaps a leak in the brake lines. If the fluid is consistently low, it’s wise to take your vehicle in to have the problem checked out, lest your whole braking system fail.
3. Worn Brake Pads
The brake pads of your car will be worn when the car brake friction will apply force and stop pressure on these pads. Most of the modern cars will have a sensor inside the cars. This sensor will activate the warning light (Brake system) whenever your brake pads will be worn and will change their colour to yellow/red as shown above.
By ignoring worn brakepads, you are not only harming your ability to stop but risking damage to other component parts of your braking system, such as the rotors, which will cost more to replace, and endanger your life.
4. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) Malfunction
Others also have the brake system warning light linked in with the ABS. The ABS system coordinates the hydraulics for the brake circuit so that a wheel doesn’t lock up during an emergency stop on slippery roads. The warning light comes on if there is some sort of ABS problem. The standard brakes might function fine but you will lose the safety of ABS in emergencies.
A faulty ABS could result in longer stopping distances or less control during emergency braking, so get it checked out as soon as possible.
5. Master Cylinder Issues
If your car starts to poo itself, a jolt at an intersection could ripple through the fluids, rupturing the lines and causing a catastrophic failure There is an important part in your car that is called a master cylinder. It’s where the hydraulic pressure is produced when you press your brake pedal, and it’s one of the first things to go when your brakes start to fail. The first sign of trouble is that brake system warning light coming on, accompanied by a soft or spongy brake pedal. The whole thing must be replaced immediately or you could end up skidding straight through a four-way intersection and taking half a freeway with you.
What to Do When the Brake System Warning Light Comes On
If your brake system warning light illuminates, it’s important to act promptly:
Pull Over Now: If the light is on while you drive, pull over to the side of the road where it is safe to do so. Don’t hit your brakes hard: you don’t know how much functionality has been compromised.
Check the parking Brake: Is it engaged? Apologies for the lowest-hanging fruit, but this is one of the most common causes, and the easiest one to remedy.
3. Check Brake Fluid: Open the hood and check the brake fluid reservoir. If it’s low, top it off and you may be fine until you can get the car into a service bay. But note quick depletion as a warning sign, and be sure to get the leak looked at by a mechanic.
Test The Brakes: Pump the brake pedal to see if it feels soft or spongy.
Get the car to a mechanic as soon as possible; if the pedal feels normal but the light stays on, drive carefully to a mechanic to have it checked. Do not use heavy braking and maintain extra distance from other vehicles.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore the Brake System Warning Light
It’s not an empty warning. Failure to heed the dashboard’s brake system warning light can affect your braking performance or, worse, result in total brake system failure. Once brake problems arise, they can quickly escalate: what started as a small problem with your brakes, such as low brake fluid or brakes pads, could make you reach for your wallet or put you in harm’s way.
It means that if you get the warning light seen above right away, you’ll still have a car that’s safe enough to drive, and will have avoided the very expensive, extra step of having to replace your brake system, too.
Conclusion
When that light turns on, you should get it checked out right away. It could be something minor but serious, such as a brake lever set to the parking position, or a serious leak or other critical issue with the system, such as a very low level of hydraulic brake fluid or extremely worn brake pads. Worse still, the warning light might not even be on — then you could trundle along for days or weeks with lethal brakes that are barely working. The brake system warning light is your last line of defence, and it too shouldn’t be ignored. Regular maintenance and taking quick action after a warning light has come on will keep your VW’s brake system happy and its occupants and other traffic safe.
