All of a sudden the BRAKE light stays on in the dash cluster. The brake operation seems just fine. Fluid is where it should be... No ABS light , just the red BRAKE indicator. what should I be looking at? The cluster has pixels out and always says CHECK..... but I cant see the rest. Do you think these could be related? Its been saying that for a long time before the BRAKE light showed up.:dunno:
Red brake light is usually fluid related. Check the brake fluid level. If it's ok, it may be the level sensor. There are many 'Check....' on the cluster and are listed in the owners manual. The Check Brake pads/Check Brake Lights are unrelated to the red cluster light.
Fluid level is good. I did some research and learned I could turn the ignition on, wait 30 sec, hit the brake pedal and the light would reset. It worked, but I still don't know why it came up in the first place.
Same issue with mine, normally happens if I use the parking brake but sometimes after a hitting a bump. Dealer said the pedal isn't making proper contact with the switch by just a tad. Caused by either bent bracket on switch or pedal or either part worn. Normally I just push the pedal down a tad and pull the release and light goes off, or jiggle the pedal. They haven't got back to me on price to replace the parts yet.
...the BRAKE light stays on in the dash cluster....the cluster has pixels out and always says CHECK..... but I cant see the rest. Do you think these could be related? Its been saying that for a long time before the BRAKE light showed up.:dunno:
If the CCD (check control display) has the 2 "status" arrows on the left/right side, and the warning comes on for approx 20 seconds when the key moves past/thru ignition position 2...that would be a a priority 2 warning. And that warning probably says "Check _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _". Eventually the red BRAKE light warning illuminated which means that either your front or rear axle needs to be checked because the pads have worn so thin, that you're going to now probably need new brake rotors, too on that axle.
Of course, this is my uneducated guess based on speculation from the brief description given. Please check and verify before spending ANY money for parts. But again, check the brake pads on both axles and also your rotors (now better than later).
Although the highlighted text in the owners manual says "CHECK BRAKE PADS"...the warning actually says CHECK BRAKE LININGS.
Thank you for the help. I do have to say though, Im almost 100% sure my brake pads are not worn to the point of having ruined the rotors. I just had the wheels off a month ago to get new tires put on and looked at the pads. They were around 40% pad still left. I can hear nor feel any difference in braking power. My wife only drives the car 10-20 miles a day and 1/2 those miles are all 65 mph. I plan on pulling the wheels this weekend for a second look though now.
Thanks again guys!!
So I pulled all 4 wheels and inspected the brakes both inboard and outboard pads. I blew all the dust build up off with compressed air. All the pads have about the same amount of lining left as they did a month ago. around 40% Basically no change.... Since I reset the light in the way I mentioned above, it hasn't returned. Everything seems fine and the fluid level is fine also.
:dunno:
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
BimmerFest BMW Forum
11.4M posts
753.1K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to BMW owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about Bimmerfest events, production numbers, programming, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! Bringing the BMW community together.