ABS Brake Repair: What to do if the ABS Light Stays On

An ABS light that is stuck on may not mean you need an ABS brake repair, it could be one of several other things causing it not to go off correctly. The ABS light is generally located on the dashboard on your control console next to the speedometer and gauges. This can be caused from bad hydraulic valves, loss of brake fluid and pressure, or simply an emergency brake not registering that it is off.

Check the Emergency Brake

Sometimes the emergency brake will not go down far enough and keep the light on, eve though the brakes are actually not applied. One way to avoid an ABS brake repair is to check this and be sure that it is in the proper down position to ensure that the light shuts off. If you push the emergency brake trigger, move it up and then down again into the off position, flush, or in a side handle emergency brake vehicle, pull the release lever to see if that solves the light problem. The emergency brake does not run on the same brake system as the main brake line, and if in working condition can still be applied in a situation where the main lines fail, however, this light can get stuck on from the handle not being shut off properly.

Loosing Hydraulic Pressure

During your ABS brake repair inspection you will want to check the levels in your brake reservoir to see if it has lost a substantial amount of brake fluid. The warning light can be coming from low levels in the brake system, and if they are topped off, it could be that you are losing pressure in one side of the vehicle which can be dangerous. Loosing this pressure can cause the brakes to fail while on the road, and the danger increases as the vehicle increases in speed, as it will not be as effective getting it to stop.

Check Your Hydraulic Circuits

Your vehicle has two hydraulic circuits and you will want to check those as well during your ABS brake repair. The reasoning behind the dual hydraulic system is as a fail safe in case the main line fails, there is still the chance that the second set of brakes will kick in and still allow a vehicle to stop. These are built into a check valve system that allows one to turn on as the other shuts off. You can change out broken parts, but if the ABS light stays on, you may have a more serious problem in the actual brake lines themselves.

Abs Light is Still Stuck on

The main thing to know in this situation is that if the light remains on and you have checked through all the systems and it does not go off, you will want to get it checked professionally to prevent serious injury or death when operating the vehicle. An ABS brake repair will be needed as a repair shop can check the entire system for leakages or cracks in the brake fluid reservoir and lines which could be the source of your pressure loss.