New member and first post... Any assistance would be great... Just picked up this car as a beater to keep mileage off of new ride... 2012 Acura TL AWD - Advance... Well anyway now to the problem...

First, it does have a broken break line to the rear wheels that will be fixed this weekend... I have confirmed that the brake light works in the dash and also the ABS code read I get the 21 code which is "Circuit of handbrake warning lamp switch" failure... The break light will come on from a few pumps of the brake pedal which I am assuming from the low fluid level due to the broken brake line to the rear... But when I turn off the car restart and the brake light is not on a pull of the parking brake will not light the lamp... I visually checked the parking brake switch it looks ok... I realize the red/green wire running to it is basicly a ground wire that when it is grounded it should light... I have not tried the direct short to pin 8 of the 14 pin connector to determine if it will light... Will be trying that this weekend which should point to a break in the red/green line down to the parking brake switch... All brake lights, turn signals and hazzards work fine... Any other thoughts? Please let me know and thanks again in advance for the help...

 

That 2-1 code can be set due to low fluid in the brake reservoir. Get the lines and leaks fixed asap, because right now your car is dangerous to drive on the street. Once you get the regular brakes fixed, then you can see if something is wrong with your anti-lock brakes. They are separate systems.

 

I am aware that the car is dangerous to drive on the street at this moment but the car was just purchased and getting ready for the street... I am also aware that the 2-1 code is for low fluid which is also listed in my post. I thank you for your input but please reread the post and try to focus on the real problem which is the parking brake switch not turning on the brake light on the dash. Now if you think the parking brake switch will not work until the repair is made then I can look at it further this weekend once the lines are fixed. Any other further input on this matter would be deeply appreciated regarding my real question...

Thanks again

 

A little bump....

 

Work on the lines first.....

 

The parking brake light works independently of the brake lamp light. The parking brake light isn't as important as fixing the lines. I would inspect the parking brake light switch that is under the center console.

 

I agree with you completely regarding the lines being much more important... I had the instrument panel apart to verify the light was good and it was not so I replaced it. As I stated in my original post, I have the parking brake console area exposed as we speak and do not see any breaks in the green/red light that runs from the instrument panel to the parking brake switch. The brake light will illuminate when starting the car and pumping the brakes for a little while... This is being caused by the low brake fluid I believe but as I stated before the previous owner stated that the ABS light will come on after some driving which I have verified that it will produce the 2-1 code. With that all being said I will replace the lines this weekend and properly bleed the brake and ABS systems before I look at the parking brake switch... My only concern is when the car is first turned on with NO brake or ABS lights lit should the parking handled pulled activating the brake switch which in turn should light the brake light on the instrument panel to show that it is active?

 

The e-brake light should turn on when you pull up the emergency brake. You can test the electrical connector to the e-brake light switch. One wire should have power. You can test the resistance on the switch too. The switch should read open when the e-brake is off, closed circuit when the e-brake is pulled up.