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Would anyone know what this would mean? The exclamation mark warning light goes on and off once in awhile; i think that light is for the emergency brake. I rarely use the emergency brake since i have an auto, so i cant think of what could be wrong. It may be nothing at all, but i just wanted to make sure cuz it seemed a bit strange.

Thanks.

 
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what kind of car do you have? I have never seen a civic with an exclamation warning light. I have seen luxury cars have it for the ESP.

 
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its a 2000 civic LX

 
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This is the Canadian indicator for the Parking Brake as well as the normal hydraulic brake system. It's called a parking brake not an emergency brake. Don't believe me? Check any owner's manual or service manual. Its called a parking brake because it's supposed to be used everytime you park your car, regardless of whether it is an automatic or manual.

Anyhow, if your parking brake is off, an intermittent light means there is a problem with your hydraulic brake system. There is either a leak in your hydraulic brake system or your pads are low and the extra brake pedal travel causes the light to come on. Both of these are serious enough to get them checked out as soon as possible.

 
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Could also be that the brake fluid level is bordering under the low side at times, probably because of your second reason (pads too low) - but basically.. go have your brake system checked out. I'm sure you can get an estimate in the least for free.

 
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like others said, its probably the brake system. while i know alot of ppl who dont use the parking brake, i use it. i dont like it when valets park my car and dont use them and the car rolls while its in park.

 
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Indeed. This puts unnecessary wear and tear on the park mechanism of the transmission.

 
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First Off: I never pay someone else to drive my car.....that's just me....

2nd its nick-named "E-brake" because of the way it is used in other situations aside from parking....drifting, snow driving, in case you can't get it up and your g/f or b/f is in the mood.....things like that....

 
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This misinformed naming of the parking brake as "e-brake" leads people to believe that this brake is only used in emergencies. Case in point, this fellow user here with the initial problem who believes that he doesn't need to use the parking brake since he has an automatic. There are countless others who believe the same thing due to this inappropriate label given to the parking brake. The parking brake is called as such because of its intended primary use for all drivers of all cars, regardless of standard or auto transmission.

 
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i know it's for parking, but i dont use it anymore in the winter.

Ive had a bad experience when it was -20C overnight and when i started the car and put it in reverse, the car wouldnt budge. I had checked the brakes and rotors in -25C storming weather and lost small springs in the snow that took me 4 hours to find. Later found out that the "emergency brake" was frozen and did all that work for nothing. I never use it in winter anymore.

My drive way has a slight downhill incline and when i put the tranny in park i dont mind if it slides a bit back downwards due to the incline; almost everyone on automatic does it. Its not gonna damage anything. Hell, i know some newbs that pull the parking brake up after they put the tranny to park and let go of the brake.

anyhoo, i will check the brakes and braking fluid.

 
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when you said fellow user i hope you weren't talking about me.....
aside from what you've posted....I said "nick-name" as in secondary name, slang-term, not immediate defining phrase....
unnecessary wear and tear of park mechanism on tranny...whats the point of having a park mechanism on a tranny if it isn't used for said purpose? in an automatic you're fine to park w/o using the parking brake, only thing you have to worry about is someone coming and lifting the front end of your car...if it was meant to be used like that wouldn't it be common knowledge like 95% of stick shifts have to have clutch pedal engaged for ignition?


come on please inform me....and correct me if I'm wrong....

 
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hey yall...

i just checked my brake fluid and it was right on the minimum line. Looks like that is the culprit; thank god it's nothing serious!

I read the manual and it says the light comes on when the fluid is low, which explains why the light comes in and out occasionally. Just like how the low gas indicator comes in and out when you drive up and down hills.

Ill go buy some brake fluid tomorrow from the honda dealership and top it up.
it is ok to top up brake fluid, right? im guessing it is.

Thanks everyone, thanks karumba for the tip.

 
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its bad for the tranny if you don't use the parking brake properly on a hill, for auto.