9-3 convertible Test Brakes query

Don't know if it is normal, but it also displays on my 98 9-5 until the pedal is depressed. Have you had any warning come up saying 'brake light failure'. I had the warning come up a few weeks ago but when checked all globes are working and it hasn't happened since.

Hopefully someone else can shed some light...

Yessir!

I had this once, when i checked all bulbs one of them had clearly been broken, but the wolfram thread had "welded" itself in place again, maybe the same thing happenend to you.

Are you sure the message isn't more like "Test brake lights"? My old '99 9-3 used to do it, and the manual said it was normal. I think the idea was that you wouldn't want to start a journey if a brake light was duff, but the car couldn't tell if one was duff unless they were actually on. So it asked you to test them before starting out. Of course, the temptation was always to see how far you could get without using the brakes and making the message disappear - or perhaps that was just me...

My current 2001 9-3 doesn't do it, but that may be because it was a personal import. You might be able to get a dealer to turn it off for you.

Cheers,

Colin.

Yes, it's checking that the brake lights aren't burned out. It measures the current drawn by them, and if a taillight burns out, it'll tell you. Does the same for headlights but without asking you to do anything.

I've heard that if you replace only one taillight that the message might not go away even though they both work, but my experience is that it worked just fine when I did it.

Dave Hinz

My girlfriend's 9-3 had a "rear light failure" warning occasionally for awhile, despite all brake lights functioning ok. I eventually discovered that it was missing one rear fog light bulb. Weird, though, that the warning only happened sometimes, when the bulb was always gone. Anyway, putting in a bulb solved the problem.

John

Thanks everybody for your feedback. Puts my mind at rest.

Actually, I have an '02 and have never seen that message. It merely goes from "checking" to "ok" to normal when I start the car. Any other message would get my attention.

...pablo

On late 9000s, the rear brake warning lights comes on on the Pictogram until one first uses the brakes.

I think the message can be enabled/disabled via the Tech II. So it's normal to both have and not have the message.

Had the same thing, bulbs in the rearhatch can fail due to "slamming" the door shut and weld itself again because they don't burn out.

"Zweef®" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@news.demon.nl...

"John228" wrote: > Had the same thing, bulbs in the rearhatch can fail due to > "slamming" the > door shut and weld itself again because they don't burn out. > > "Zweef®" schreef in bericht > news: snipped-for-privacy@news.demon.nl... > > In article <P9e0d.25595$ snipped-for-privacy@news-server.bigpond.net.au>, > > snipped-for-privacy@identity.com.za says... >  > >

The computer does a complete check of electronics everytime you start the car it can?t check that the brake lights are working unless you step on the brake then it knows the bulbs work and the message disappears. If they were burn?t out you would get that message. Nice to be needed isn?t it. Geoff