Brake lights come on randomly - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

xtinxkanx · 09-10-2007, 04:45 PM

Hello,
Have a little problem here. On a regular drive and from time to time, the hand brake light on my dashboard turns on and then if I stop completely, it turns off. Not quite sure what could be causing the problems. I did try to pull the hand brake up and releasing it while I am still in motion; However that did not do the trick.
I believe it turns on more frequently when I do make a turn.
And I did notice the light go off once when my driver side rear wheel ran over a pot hole.
Any ideas?

I have a 2000 Camry LE

vdop69 · 09-10-2007, 04:51 PM

make sure your brake fluid is at the fill level.

xtinxkanx · 09-10-2007, 04:52 PM

At the current moment, it is inbetween low and full.

vdop69 · 09-10-2007, 05:00 PM

I would try filling the fluid to full and see if the light stays off.

xtinxkanx · 09-10-2007, 05:01 PM

Will do, i will update after.

xtinxkanx · 09-12-2007, 04:42 PM

I did do that, and the light did go off.
However, this worries me. Usually brakefluid does not need to be filled.
My brake pads do look like they have a good amount left on them for both drum and front.
Could this be caused by a warpped drum?

92_Gen3_5SFE_LE · 09-12-2007, 05:12 PM

Toyotas are notourious for having the brake warning light come on from not having topped off brake fluid. the sensor is really sensative.

xtinxkanx · 09-12-2007, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92_Gen3_5SFE_LE

Toyotas are notourious for having the brake warning light come on from not having topped off brake fluid. the sensor is really sensative.

then should i be worried on if my brakes are worn out?
I mean I did look at them and both pads and drum shoes looked fairly decent.

dc_98_cam · 09-12-2007, 05:23 PM

If the brake warning light comes on again, you should be on the lookout for some sort of leak. ... Maybe remove wheels .... examine calipers, drums. Brake fluid has to go someplace.

xtinxkanx · 09-12-2007, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_98_cam

If the brake warning light comes on again, you should be on the lookout for some sort of leak. ... Maybe remove wheels .... examine calipers, drums. Brake fluid has to go someplace.

I am going to do another check on the drums tonight. I want to see if they are warpped.
Do you know what the usual thickness the shoes are before they go bad like the minimum
I do have a caliper so i am going to measure it but i dont know the thickenss.

***toyomoho*** · 09-12-2007, 05:55 PM

The minimum thickness for both pads and shoes on a Gen_3 is 0.039 inch don’t know for a Gen_4.

Warped drums or rotors should not cause this. Are you sure this generation has electronic brake wear indicators?

The issues seem to be if the brake fluid is leaking somewhere and the brake fluid level sensor is over sensitive.

xtinxkanx · 09-12-2007, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyomoho

The minimum thickness for both pads and shoes on a Gen_3 is 0.039 inch don’t know for a Gen_4.

Warped drums or rotors should not cause this. Are you sure this generation has electronic brake wear indicators?

The issues seem to be if the brake fluid is leaking somewhere and the brake fluid level sensor is over sensitive.

I agree with the possibiliy of a leak. Any pointers on where to look first?

vdop69 · 09-12-2007, 06:16 PM

I dunno...I had this problem before and just added fluid and havent had a problem since, and that was about a year or more ago.

xtinxkanx · 09-12-2007, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vdop69

I dunno...I had this problem before and just added fluid and havent had a problem since, and that was about a year or more ago.

so no leaks?

vdop69 · 09-12-2007, 06:19 PM

No, I didnt have any leaks. But your situation might be different. If I were you I would just wait and see if the level of fluid goes down after a couple weeks.