Why Does My Parking Brake Warning Light Keep Turning On?

It's happened again: your parking or emergency brake's warning light has turned on for seemingly no reason. At first, the little red light made you nervous, but now when it comes on, all it induces is an eye roll. It doesn't seem like it is indicating anything of importance—is it? How do you know?

According to the experts at Popular Mechanics, a faulty brake warning light could indicate that the problem lies with the sensors used to trigger the antilock braking system. The culprit could be a wheel-speed sensor. If this sensor is dirty, broken, out of alignment, or otherwise tampered with in some way, then the car's computer can't figure out what the wheel is doing, so it throws up the warning light. To remedy this, you'll most likely need to remove the caliper and rotor to access the sensors for inspection and cleaning. After you do so, drive around the block and see if your warning light comes back on.

If it does, you should make a trip to DCH Freehold Toyota's service center. Brakes (and their respective warning lights) are never something to ignore, so to make sure that you stay safe—and have peace of mind—get your vehicle looked at as soon as possible.