Emergency brake light spontaneously lighting

[Fulmine]

After descending a hill near my home while driving in "L", I noticed that my emergency brake light was on and I had to pull over and stop to depress the emergency brake switch, as you need to have your foot on the brake pedal to do so. Subsequently, I noticed the same thing after the same descent while stopped at a red light. I initially attributed it to early ahlsheimers, thinking I forgot to depress the switch. But a made a point today before starting the same descent to depress the switch, observing the emergency brake light to go off, and drove the same route. When I drove down the descent, stopped, and then a couple of miles on level road to a red light and stopped in "L" without using the brake pedal, I saw the emergency light come on. Anyone had this happen? I don't know if the emergency brake is engaged or not when the emergency light has come on. It didn't seem like I was driving with the emergency brake on, but I can't be sure. I need to watch the emergency light like a hawk when stopped from now on until I take the car in.

 

[dan2112]

Try this experiment - Put the parking brake on and slowly hit the accelerator - a gentle tap will do it. The parking brake will disengage. So if it engaged while moving - sounds like a problem the dealer should look at.

 

[SeanNelson]

I don't have a Bolt, so what I'm about to describe may or may not apply. But I do have a Prius C, and it has a feature called "hill hold mode". If you press on the brake really hard while stopped it will apply the brakes and hold them even when you remove your foot from the brake pedal. When you press the accelerator pedal the brakes release automatically. You can use this on an uphill slope so that you don't roll backward when you start up.

I don't know if this has anything to do with what you're experiencing, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

 

[phil0909]

I don't have a Bolt, so what I'm about to describe may or may not apply. But I do have a Prius C, and it has a feature called "hill hold mode". If you press on the brake really hard while stopped it will apply the brakes and hold them even when you remove your foot from the brake pedal. When you press the accelerator pedal the brakes release automatically. You can use this on an uphill slope so that you don't roll backward when you start up.

I don't know if this has anything to do with what you're experiencing, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

That's a nice feature - I have it on my other car. But we don't have it on the Bolt. We do have something called Hill Start Assist, which is automatic (i.e. not activated by braking or hard braking), and only prevents rolling backward (forward if the car is in R).

 

[stevewa]

Which brake lamp are you seeing? The one that says "PARK" (upper RH corner of the panel) or the other one?

The PARK indicator suggests either the parking brake is engaging or there's a fault in the electric parking brake (possibly the switch that tells the car when the brake is applied). The other brake indicator indicates a problem with the primary hydraulic brakes, and is a potentially more serious issue...

 

[Fulmine]

It is the light in the upper right corner of the screen; not the brake failure warning light.

 

[Fulmine]

Received my monthly OnStar report and it shows no brake problems.

 

[HotPotato]

I don't have a Bolt, so what I'm about to describe may or may not apply. But I do have a Prius C, and it has a feature called "hill hold mode". If you press on the brake really hard while stopped it will apply the brakes and hold them even when you remove your foot from the brake pedal. When you press the accelerator pedal the brakes release automatically. You can use this on an uphill slope so that you don't roll backward when you start up.

I don't know if this has anything to do with what you're experiencing, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

That's a nice feature - I have it on my other car. But we don't have it on the Bolt. We do have something called Hill Start Assist, which is automatic (i.e. not activated by braking or hard braking), and only prevents rolling backward (forward if the car is in R).

If you are in L and come to a stop on a downhill slope, the car will apparently set the brake automatically after a moment to hold the car, and release the brake automatically when you accelerate again. Are you saying it's not releasing automatically once you get underway again?

 

[Fulmine]

When I noticed the emergency light on, it was after stopping on a flat road just after a descent; I wasn't stopped on the hill.

 

[Fulmine]

Aha! Yesterday, when I stopped I felt the emergency brake engage and saw the light go on. Are you saying if I continue to drive with the light on, the emergency brake will disengage?

 

[dandrewk]

Aha! Yesterday, when I stopped I felt the emergency brake engage and saw the light go on. Are you saying if I continue to drive with the light on, the emergency brake will disengage?

Were you on a hill when the emergency brake light came on?

And yes, the brake should disengage every time you continue to drive. I'm pretty sure that if it didn't, you would notice.

 

[gpsman]

To the original post, this is normal.
This IS intentional.
This IS a feature.

Just like taking your seat belt off in L puts the parking brake on.

Just like if you take your seat belt off in D if you have creep disabled (click the regen on demand in D at a full stop to disable creep).

And PLEASE start calling it by the proper term.
PARKING BRAKE.

It is not an "emergency" brake.
That is an antiquated term.

 

[Fulmine]

Problem solved. I stopped on a slight grade downhill in L. I was creeping very slowly when the parking brake light when on. Then I started driving and it went off. Manual silent on this.