Q: What does it mean when Brake light stays on

asked by on January 05, 2018

Brake light stays on even though brake is engaged.

My car has 144000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Brake Warning Light is on Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Your car probably has several brake warning lights on the dashboard. I’ll presume that you are talking about the one that comes on when the parking brake is set. If that light stays on it may mean there is a malfunction in the brake system. It could be low on brake fluid, a leak or it could simply be that the micro switch that operates the light at the parking brake is bad. You shouldn’t ignore this. Contact YourMechanic to have a technician come to your home or office to check out your Toyota and tell you what is wrong and what is the solution.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Get an instant quote for your car

Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing


Experienced Mechanic?

Earn up to $70/hr

What others are asking

Broken axle
It is not the axle since the axle on the car is in the rear of the car. You may have heard the brakes (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-diagnose-and-repair-noisy-brakes-by-robert-tomashek) or a bearing (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-bad-or-failing-wheel-bearings) in the front of the car. Depending on the problem you...
went over a speed bump now have a scraping/grinding noise under the bed when driving
It sounds like one of your leaf spring (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/what-are-leaf-springs) shackles has broken. It is very common for them to get rusty and break. The noise you are hearing is probably the shackle running on the underside of the bed. Go...
Will only start if you put gas in the throttle body
The engine fuel injection on these engine have to have enough fuel pressure to pop the injectors open to get it to start. The system injectors are known to get clogged (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/what-causes-fuel-injectors-to-get-clogged-or-dirty) and stick when cold also. You would first...
My tail lights and dash lights stay on when I turn the key off
Hello there, many faults will cause your 2001 Chevrolet Prizm to have the dash lights and tail lights staying on when the vehicle is turned off. The most likely cause would be the ignition switch (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-ignition-switch) or a wiring harness...
Clutch sticking and gears won't go in
You should check the hydraulic clutch master cylinder to see if it is low on fluid indicating a leak in the system and will need to locate the leak and repair as needed. If the fluid is mostly full and...
hi Chris well I had my water pump replaced and the timing belt was took in off and then put back on but it doesn't turn on now I
If the vehicle will not start after a timing belt replacement (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/timing-belt-replacement), it is very likely that the replacement did not get performed to specification and the engine is out of time. This would require the engine to be disassembled...
Hi scott my husband pulled my window fuse out and broke a prong what do i do so i can get that fuse back in there its a 2001 chrys
The first thing to do is to have a mechanic like one from YourMechanic to see if the damaged socket can be repaired or the entire fuse box needs to be replaced. In some cases it may be able to...
Heater works intermittently, when not working car overheats and thermostat is new
Hi there. In most cases, when you have issues with the heater working and the vehicle overheating, it's caused by an obstruction of coolant inside the heater core. The cooling system circulates hot coolant / water into the heater core...
White smoke/noise from new power steering pump and difficulty turning wheel
Hi Smith. Thanks for contacting us today. If the pulley is hard to turn and there is smoke coming from it, then it's more than likely that it's either not the right pulley for that pump, not properly aligned or...

Related articles

How to Use an iPod in a Toyota Prius
Gone Gone are the days of toting around cassette tapes or CDs in cases to keep tunes on hand when you're on the go. Today, we have playlists on our portable devices like iPods. When you don't have the latest...
How to Respond When Your Brake Warning Light Is On
Safe operation of your car relies heavily on your brakes working properly every time you need them. When you experience a Brake...
Top Automotive News & Stories: September 24-September 30
Angry Civic Type R, 350 special edition Ferraris, Infiniti variable compression tech, Mercedes' electric future, and more.