What is Brake Pad Wear Warning Light
What is Brake Pad Wear Warning Light: Most modern vehicles are equipped with brake pad sensors designed to warn driver when brake pads are below or close to minimum thickness. Cars have two brake pad wear sensors, one front wheel and one rear wheel are equipped with brake pad sensors.
Brake pads wear evenly (mostly) and there is no need to install brake pad wear sensors on each wheel. Two brake pad sensors per vehicle are more than enough. Several different materials used to produce brake pads, more on Brake Pad Types.
What is a Brake Pad Wear Sensor?
Brake pads sensors are a safety feature added to brake pads for monitoring brake pad thickness. Brake pads have a special slot where brake pad sensors are installed or inserted. Sensors are quite simple and are designed to fail when brake pads reach a certain thickness, usually about 4mm. Brake pad warning light will be activated when brake pad thickness drop below minimum specifications.
How Brake Pad Sensors work?
When brake pads wears lower than 4mm, brake pad sensor will grind against brake rotor. Brake pad sensor has a metal contact encased on a plastic housing. When sensor grinds against brake rotor, contact will be made between brake rotor and brake pad sensor wire triggering brake pad wear indicator warning light. Image below shows brake pad sensor component which is inserted on brake pads.
Brake pad wear indicator light illumination means brake pad sensors are destroyed and new sensors will be needed on new brake pad installation. Sensors are not expensive, depending on car and model will likely cost about $15 each.
What to do if Brake Pad Light Wear Indicator Comes On?
Short answer is: there is nothing you can do immediately, your car is still safe to drive normally. Long answer is: you will need new brake pads quite soon and have to schedule an appointment with your mechanic. Usually, brake pads thickness is enough for driving a while after brake pad indicator is triggered, but not much.
How Long Can You Drive with Brake Pad Wear Light on?
Probably a month worth of driving or 2000km give or take. Depending on how many kilometers you drive every month and condition of other two wheels which are not monitored by brake pad sensors. Anyways, when brake pad warning light indicator is triggered, time has come to spend some money on a brake job as soon as you can.
If you neglect it and brake pads wear down completely, metal part of brake pads will grind against brake rotors. Car will become completely unsafe to drive in this case and other brake components (brake rotors, brake calipers, etc) will be damaged. Expensive repairs will follow.
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