Handbrake Light Issue

[pyroliske]

I was driving along the other day and the handbrake light came on. I panicked thinking that I had absentmindedly forgotten to release it, but the handbrake was down. I intend to check the brake fluid later as I read this can be the cause, but I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas?

I had the brake pads changed in January so it's not the brakes themselves. The handbrake does appear to need adjusting as I have to pull it up quite high now. On my old car the handbrake light would flicker on and off when the handbrake needed adjusting so I was thinking could it be this?

On a side note the ABS light also comes on intermittently. I've had two garages check it on the machine and it came up fine so they just turned the light off, but it comes back on when I first brake in the morning, this is accompanied by a feeling of grittiness in the brakes, but I don't get it after this and the brakes work great otherwise.

[Jamesbelfast]

Yes check the brake fluid level first.

Try jiggling the handbrake lever and see if the light flickers - it may be a loose micro-switch.

I would be concerned though about the ABS warning light - it could be a faulty ABS sensor or reluctor.

Looks like the garage did a lousey job. Switching off the warning light obviously only treated the symptoms and not the cause and considering brakes are a vital safety system of any car their inability to cure the cause may have inadvertently put lives at risk.

Imagine going to your doctor with a severe headache and all he/she gave you was painkillers and then it turned out you have a sevre brain illness.

[pyroliske]

Thanks, I did check the brake fluid this evening and it is full so definitely not that causing it. I've jiggled the handbrake a lot thinking something might be sticking but it doesn't go off. It's not constant, it will go off of its own accord after a while, and it goes off once the engine is stopped and restarted.

I suspect it's a handbrake issue so I'll get it into my garage, and get them to look at the ABS properly at the same time.

[Cookie-monster]

ABS issues are usually down to a faulty wheel sensor, or cracked reluctor ring on the outer CV joint. Have the garage check the reluctor rings (these are toothed rings that look like gear cogs that wrap round the CV joint behind the brake discs) and the continuity of the ABS sensor wiring, as the wires can get chafed or damaged internally with the constant movement of the suspension and steering, this is moreso on the front wheels under the wheel arches. ABS wheel sensors are not cheap either, just to warn you, and normally the reluctor rings dont come on their own, you usually have to replace the entire CV joint.

Lift the top off the brake fluid reservoir and make sure the float inside can move up and down freely, if it is sticking, it will cause the handbrake light to come on - even if the reservior is full. the only other reason that the handbrake light would come on is if there was a short in the wiring or the handbrake light switch was faulty.