blinking brake sign

[janelly]

alright,

when I make turns either a right turn or left turn my brake sign blinks a couple of
times and then stops. Also I'm not even touching the brakes when this happens.
So what the freak is happening to my car now?

later,
Janelle

[EllenD]

Do you mean your emergency brake light on the cluster? If so, it's possible that when you're turning the sensor for the emergency brake is being set off. Have you had any work done to your brakes at all since this started happening?

[iNFAMOUS]

its your brake fluid, check the level. When the light flickers its usually and indication that your pads need to be replaced. But if you just want the light to stop flickering, just top off the brake fluid.

[01blkcat]

Originally posted by: infamousHK
its your brake fluid, check the level. When the light flickers its usually and indication that your pads need to be replaced. But if you just want the light to stop flickering, just top off the brake fluid.

That's exactly what it is... when you turn, the fluid gets smashed up against the side of the container, causing the sensor to think of all of the fluid is gone...

[Rikenbomb]

When was the last time you got your brakes changed? How many miles? If it's beena a while or have like 50K miles since last brake change, i'd recommend changing your brakes. Topping off the brake fluid is not the answer.

[Zalec]

i use to have this problem. i know what your talkin about. it went away when i took it to the dealership for tranny repairs :shrug:

[AtomicInternet]

Just to clarify, since I was confused from this post, your RED brake light in your DASH indicates a functional issue with your brake system (not your brake pads) or activation of your parking brake. The AMBER light in your OVERHEAD console (that some people have) sometimes means your brake pads are wearing thin. If the red one comes on get your system checked. Even if the amber one never comes on you should check your brake pads visually every 10,000-15,000 miles for wear, regardless of how full or empty the brake fluid reservoir is.

I'm a fanatic about brakes. They are very easy to change and even easier to inspect regularly. Just jack up your car, take off a wheel, and look in the "inspection window" on top of the caliper. If you turn the rotor you'll easily see how thick your pad is. Usually I change mine if they are thinner than 1/8th inch.

[NorCalCoug]

Originally posted by: Rikenbomb
When was the last time you got your brakes changed? How many miles? If it's beena a while or have like 50K miles since last brake change, i'd recommend changing your brakes. Topping off the brake fluid is not the answer.

You are correct.

A blinking red brake light on the dash that is intermittent is generally a sign of low fluid level. But why low fluid level? The brake system is a closed system, nothing should be evaporating, not that fast. Well, the answer is generally one of two things.

1- you're leaking or somehow lost brake fluid or

2- your pads are worn so thin that the pistons are extended out far enough to drop the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir below the recommended level.

I would bank on #2 more than #1; have your brake pads checked. It's easy to do on your own if you know what the brake pads should look like when they're kind of new. Also, replacing the pads on your car is one of the easiest 'maintenance' items you can accomplish. :)

[carajo]

I'm having this problem currently and it seems very weird - in mid-late July, I had my tires rotated and they checked the brakes and said I had a ways to go. The next week or 2 weeks later, I had my oil changed at midas and they said my brake pads were close to needing to be replaced.

In the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that the brakes aren't working as well, and I'm having this blinking e-brake light problem when I corner hard or accelerate hard. Usually just when I'm just leaving in the morning or leaving work at night - not usually after I've been driving around for a while.

It has recently turned colder here (this problem appeared since it's gotten cooler). I've never replaced the brake pads - got 68K miles on them. I'm going to have them looked at this weekend, but this all seems very odd. That it was so sudden, and why did these people I trust tell me my brakes are fine yet midas (which I don't trust at all) tell me that I would need new brakes soon? I'd blame midas if I could figure out anything they possibly could have done to them.

Any ideas/comments?

[01blkcat]

You have 68,000 miles on the stock brakes pads.... and haven't even considered replacing them? :shrug:

[PizzaSlut]

i never had any brake fluid loss for like thousands and thousands and thousands of miles and one day the brake light came on. A week later I checked brake fluid and had to throw quite a bit in. I check fluids regularly, so this came out pretty quick. Don't know what caused it, but another five thousand miles later no problems, brakes are fine, fluid is still just barely under max where I filled it to.

[EricF]

68k on stock pads.. whoohoo.. man thats like a record.. I have 66k and I'm on my 4th set. LOL.. then again I use em alot..
either way, I'd say its time to get brakes, take a look at the pads.

[arskiracer]

You shouldn't ever really have to fill the brake fluid unless you have a leak. As NorCalCoug was saying, as the pads wear down, the pistons poke out farther making the brake fluid level drop. Eventually as the pads wear enough the brake light will start to come on telling you the fluid level is low. Pad wear lights are pointless because the fluid level light will tell you exacty when you need to change your brakes. (unless one of the pads wear more than the others like when a caliper siezes - then maybe the fluid level wouldn't get low enough to give a light.) When you get new pads the pistons are pushed back in filling up the brake resivoir again. If you fill the resovoir when the pads are thin, next time you get new pads, the resivoir will probably overflow.

(I've heard the red light will also tell you if you have a problem with the brake system as well (ie. not just a fluid level light), but I don't have first hand experience with that)

[carajo]

Originally posted by: 01blkcat
You have 68,000 miles on the stock brakes pads.... and haven't even considered replacing them? :shrug:

I have, but I don't touch anything outside of the cabin that's not yellow. I have been having my dad and the place that does my tires check them for the past year. Like I said, they passed inspection. And I'm well aware of what a car feels like to drive when the pads are completely worn - they're nowhere near that yet.

As for having them unchanged for 68,000 miles, well, I do a lot of highway driving where I'm not using my brakes.

I'll hopefully be able to get this all figured out this weekend and let y'all know what the verdict is.

[carajo]

more brake fluid fixed the blinking e-brake light. it is a closed system, but it's not completely closed - I mean, it's just a cap...it's not surprising that some evaporated in the 4+ years I've had it.

as for the brake pads, fronts are fine...backs...well, I can't afford to replace them this month with the $600 I'm spending on new tires, and the verdict is they'll last another month or so.