You’re driving down the road and all of a sudden, both your battery light and brake light on at same time with one exception – you know that they shouldn’t be on at the same time. You might be asking yourself why these two seemingly unrelated lights came on at the same time, but the answer may be more complicated than you think.
Many drivers have experienced this situation before, so if you’re having problems with both your brake light and your battery light coming on at the same time, don’t worry – it happens to everybody from time to time.
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Why Is There A Difference Between My Battery And Brake Lights?
Most vehicles have a charging system that charges both the battery and helps power a vehicle’s electrical system. In some cases, there is an issue with how electricity is being sent to or from one of these systems. If your battery light flashes on your dash, it could be trying to tell you that your battery is dying or that there may be an issue with how it’s charging.
If your battery light and brake light on at same time are also flashing on your dash when you press down on your brakes, that usually means there’s an issue with how electricity is being sent to or from those bulbs as well. The good news is that in most cases, issues like these can be fixed easily by a mechanic.
So if you notice your battery and brake lights are on at the same time, don’t panic—it just might mean that you need to take your car in for a checkup!
There are several other reasons why you might experience different dashboard lights than what you expect. For example, your fuel gauge may be reading incorrectly due to a bad sending unit or gauge. A
bad thermostat may cause your temperature gauge needle to bounce around erratically instead of staying in place. Or maybe someone accidentally bumped into your instrument panel and accidentally switched one of your dashboard buttons while they were fumbling around inside! In these cases, all you need to do is check your owner’s manual for help figuring out how to reset your dash back to normal.
If none of these issues sound like yours, there could be an issue with your vehicle’s wiring system itself. When electricity isn’t getting where it needs to go properly, some parts can start working intermittently or not at all. In some cases, electrical problems can even lead to fire hazards if not taken care of quickly by a professional auto mechanic.
Can I Drive With Both Lights On?
The short answer is yes, but you probably shouldn’t. If battery light and brake light on at same time while you’re driving, there could be a problem with your brakes. This could be an indicator that there is too much friction between your brake pads and wheel, for example. This can also be caused by a malfunctioning brake switch or even by one of your brake lights being out.
The same goes for a flickering battery light; it can be an indicator of a charging issue or possibly even a problem with the electrical system voltage supply. Either way, if you see these lights come on during driving it’s best to have them looked at by someone who knows what they’re doing – like a certified mechanic from YourMechanic! They will be able to diagnose any issues quickly and accurately so you can get back on the road as soon as possible. And, most importantly, safely. In other words, always pull over to a safe place when either of these lights comes on—and then call YourMechanic!
On My Vehicle, Both Are Working Fine?
One possibility is that you may have an aftermarket dashboard in your car which has different light symbols than most cars do. Another possibility (especially if your battery light has been going off periodically) is that you may just need to replace your alternator belt which turns and powers everything in your engine bay including things like air conditioning systems which need power for fans etc…
Finally, I would say if nothing else works maybe it’s time to bring it to a professional technician to check all sensors as well since I believe there are other dashboards used outside of OEM ones.
How Do I Know If It’s A Problem?
Most newer vehicles use a computer to control a lot of functions, including lights. Sometimes these systems can get confused, so it’s important to get your vehicle checked out by a certified mechanic. Diagnosing your dash light dilemma yourself will help you narrow down what is causing your car’s warning lights to come on; however, if you don’t know how to perform some of these tests or determine what they mean, it may be best to take your car in for service.
If You Do Choose To Go Ahead With Self-Diagnosis, Follow These Steps Below:
For both dashboard warning lights (the battery light and brake light flashing), look at where each one is located. If they are not close together, check their fuses (if any) individually before proceeding further with diagnostics. Fuses should be located under your hood in most cases (or under your car’s fuse box). For more information about checking fuses and circuit breakers, refer to our previous post here.
Now that we have ruled out a fuse issue between our two dashboard warning lights, let’s proceed with determining which component or system might be at fault for turning them on simultaneously.
What Can I Do About If Battery Light And Brake Light On At Same Time?
Don’t panic. Well, maybe don’t panic, but go get your car looked at by a professional as soon as possible if you’re concerned about it. The most likely cause of these lights is simply a loose or faulty connection (though any number of things could be wrong). A qualified mechanic should be able to take care of that quickly. But if it persists after a check-up, or goes on in different circumstances (i.e., going over bumps instead of stopping), then there may be something more serious going on with your car—in which case I strongly suggest getting it checked out further by someone who knows what they’re doing.
It can be scary when our cars aren’t working right, but it’s important not to try to handle repairs yourself. You might end up making things worse! For example, if you tried to fix a brake light issue by changing a fuse, but didn’t know how much power was supposed to be running through it… well, you might blow out your entire electrical system. That would cost much more than an auto shop bill! So again, just get it checked out ASAP. If you have no idea where to find a good auto shop near you, ask around for recommendations from friends and family members or look online for reviews of local mechanics. And remember: no matter how worried we are about our cars (or even other people’s cars!), we shouldn’t ever put ourselves in danger trying to fix them ourselves. We’re better off calling an expert!
It’s always easier to prevent problems than it is to fix them once they occur, so make sure you take good care of your vehicle by performing regular maintenance such as checking tire pressure, keeping up with oil changes, and routine inspections. Of course, every car wears down a little differently depending on how it’s used—which means that paying attention to small warning signs can help us catch problems before they become big ones. Pulsing brake lights are one sign of potentially deeper issues; stay safe by keeping an eye out for additional warning signs like grinding gears or pinging sounds whenever you accelerate hard.
Conclusion
Both battery light and brake light on at same time on your dashboard could be lighting up because of a failed alternator. If your alternator is failing, it won’t provide sufficient power to support other systems in your car, like your headlights. So when you drive at night with a weak alternator, your lights will dim, but not before burning out every other bulb in your car. A new alternator can cost $300 or more depending on where you get it done—but you can easily replace one yourself for around $40 to $50 and some time spent under the hood. Alternators are easy to diagnose using test equipment like an ammeter or a voltmeter (and they usually give you trouble codes that help too), so don’t be afraid to crack open that fuse box!
Most cars have both 10-amp and 20-amp fuses, which will require different replacement parts. When replacing an alternator yourself, remember to buy all of its associated parts from a single place (for example, if you buy from AutoZone make sure everything comes from AutoZone). It may seem cheaper at first to buy things piecemeal online or from a big-box store like Walmart or Autozone; however, buying individual parts leads to headaches down the road since different brands often use incompatible parts—which means there’s no guarantee that those pieces will work together. Stick with brands you know and save money over time by doing business with one company.