I have a 2001 taurus SEL and the brake warning light comes on sometimes. Sometimes it goes off, sometimes it stays on, sometimes it is on as soon as I start the car. When it is on my traction control doesn’t work and sometimes the traction control light flickers on for a few seconds when the brake warning light is on or not. I’ve read a bunch of posts at various web sites. I’ve checked the fluid level, checked for leaks, cleaned the brakes including the abs sensors, and as a last resort took the car to my mechanic to make sure there wasn’t going to be any imminent failure. They checked the system over, took it for various test drives. Of course the light didn’t come on for them and they couldn’t find anything wrong and no computer codes. Any idea what it could be? I almost never use my parking brake but it does seem to work ok. What do I do next. Could it just be a bad sensor??
Step on the brake pedal HARD. Set your parking brake HARD…Release the foot brake, then the parking brake…Repeat this several times. (you are force-feeding the rear self-adjusters). See if this cures your problem. If not, have the rear drums pulled and the brakes inspected, especially the self-adjusters, for proper assembly and operation…
Next time your light comes on, pump the brake a few times fast and see if it stays on. If it does not, your problem has to with hydraulic pressure. The cause is up for grabs - it could be a defective master cylinder or a leaky wheel cylinder, but at least you will know that the problem is physical and not electronic.
Thanks, I’ll try this today. I have always done my own brake jobs and this issue did start no long after I did the brakes, maybe a couple of months. Should I go back to check that I assembled the adjusters on the rear drums correctly. I did give them a once over when I checked for leaks and did not notice anything out of the ordinary but I’ll look with a more critical eye.