If your brake warning light switches on, it could indicate anything from a minor fault to a system failure, so it’s important to remain calm and take sensible precautions.

What Does a Brake Warning Light Look Light?

This may differ vehicle to vehicle, but most brake warning lights will be an exclamation point inside a circle, between two brackets. Some vehicles will just have the word ‘BRAKE’, but the icon is more likely.

Your vehicle will also have an ABS warning light, for your Anti-lock Braking System, which will be the letters ABS inside a circle.

For both lights, they may appear yellow or amber for minor warnings, or red and flashing for more serious issues. When you get a new vehicle, you should always look through your vehicle manual and familiarise yourself with where the warning lights are, what they look like, and how they will indicate an emergency (i.e. flashing or changing colour).

What Can Cause Your Brake Warning Light to Come on?

Any issues that relate to your brakes, whether small or serious, will cause your brake warning light to come on. The most likely reasons for this are:

• Your brake fluid levels are running low or you are leaking brake fluid
• Your car is experiencing brake sensor failure
• The hydraulic brake circuits in your car have failed
• Your brake pads are very worn down and need replacing .
• Your parking brake is still engaged whilst you’re driving – this is usually accompanied by an alarm or an alert from your car
• You have defective or damaged brake light bulbs

What Should I Do if My Brake Warning Light Comes on When Driving?

It can be difficult to tell which brake-related issue has caused your light to turn on if you’re already driving, but generally you should do one of the following:

• If Your Brakes Feel Normal: If your brakes don’t feel any different and your brake light turns yellow or amber, you can drive to your nearest garage, where they can check your brakes and identify what the issue is. Some minor issues such as replacing your brake pads, can be carried out quite quickly.
• If Your Brakes Feel Different: If you have to press down harder or longer in order to brake properly, or if your brake light is flashing and red, then you should pull over as soon as possible. Keep in mind that your brakes won’t be working as well as normal, so you should try to reduce speed first and give yourself plenty of time to brake safely.
• If You’ve Pulled Over: Once you’ve safely pulled to a stop, you can call for roadside assistance who will take your car to a garage to be checked and repaired. Alternatively, you can check your brake fluid levels and refill them if they’re too low. If the brake light then turns off, you should be able to drive your vehicle to the garage yourself. If the brake light stays on however, you may still want to wait for roadside assistance as there could be a leak or other problems.

What Should I Do if My ABS Light Comes on?

ABS is a safety system that is designed to prevent your wheels from locking if you have to brake heavily, so that you can still maintain control of your vehicle. It’s effectively an anti-skidding system, and it can therefore be very dangerous to drive if the ABS is malfunctioning.

If your ABS warning light comes on, you might be safe to drive to a garage, provided that you drive carefully and you’re mindful of the fact that your vehicle may skid under braking. If road or weather conditions are poor, you would be safer to pull over (where possible) and call for roadside assistance as poor conditions will make it more difficult to drive with compromised brake systems. For example, if roads are icy, your braking distance will already be greater and you’ll be more at risk of skidding than under normal condition, and therefore rely more heavily on the ABS.

However, if your wheels are making any unusual sounds, or if your brake warning lights have also come on, then you should pull over straight away and call for roadside assistance to take you to a garage. This could be a sign of a major brake fault and it will therefore not be safe for you to continue driving.

Staying Safe and Preventative Measures

You will have to take your vehicle in for an MOT every year already (provided the vehicle is three or more years old), but you should also be arranging for your vehicle to be serviced every year. This will check for any problems with your brake systems, however minor, and should be able to fix them for you before they lead to a breakdown.

If you want to get your brakes checked or book in for an annual service, please get in touch.