Parking Brake Light turning on

[Digency]

Whenever I make a sharp right hand turn my parking brake light turns on. After a minute the light turns off. I am sure my parking brake is all the way down. Any ideas?

[ssicarman]

Low brake fluid warning is coming on. Time to check the brakes.

[spencerb]

The light isn't just a parking brake light. It has two purposes. It also indicates a problem with the braking system - low fluid.

[Werks11]

Yepper .......... may want to check the fluid. If it's not the fluid you may want to check the rest of the system.

Parking brake light, thats an inducation you should get out the owners manual and read it.

[emg77]

Yep, if you pull up on the parking brake while driving, the car will "ding" at you too, so it's not a parking brake issue.

[some_phenom]

Originally Posted by Digency

Whenever I make a sharp right hand turn my parking brake light turns on. After a minute the light turns off. I am sure my parking brake is all the way down. Any ideas?

I had the same problem. I had to have my rear breaks completely re-built. My mechanic said the breaks were a poor design on GM's part.

[Digency]

Originally Posted by some_phenom

I had the same problem. I had to have my rear breaks completely re-built. My mechanic said the breaks were a poor design on GM's part.

How much did that cost you?

[99blacktop]

Originally Posted by Digency

How much did that cost you?

A couple years back, I complained that the rear brakes on my car seemed to grind all the time, like burning off the rust after a wet night, but all the time. They put new rotors/pads on the back for me, under warranty.

Here are the part numbers from the receipt:
Part #09117772 "ROTOR SET" Getsaturnparts.com says $134.47
Part #93193613 "PAD KIT, R" Getsaturnparts.com says $100.68

It didn't cost me anything, other than leaving my car overnight because they only had one rotor in stock and couldn't get another one from a neighboring dealer until the next morning. The tech showed me the hassle it was to take the parts off, so I was nice and left my car there so he didn't have to put it back together and then take it apart again.

They were quiet for awhile, but now they have that same grinding noise when I brake. They make more noise than the still factory original brakes on my SC2, 14 years, 120,000 miles, and they don't grind, nor squeal.

[vanilla sky]

Originally Posted by some_phenom

I had the same problem. I had to have my rear breaks completely re-built. My mechanic said the breaks were a poor design on GM's part.

And I say it's time for a new mechanic.

Low brake fluid is an indication that the brake pads and rotors are worn. Low brake fluid is a side effect of brake wear. Check your pads and rotors before you check your brake fluid. You should NEVER add fluid to a brake system without finding out where it went. Brakes are a life or death item on a car. It's the only system that has to fail ONCE to make a car eligible for lemon law litigation in most states.

If any of you were close enough to me that I could check out your car for you, I'd be happy to. These cars are really basic cars and are fairly simple to work on. It seems like the only people that complain about these cars have owned Japanese cars that they threw away when they needed repairs.