Red brake light

[Mitchell00]

Hi everybody, I'm newbie to these boards.

I'm posting due to something concerning me with my 99 Ford Taurus.

For awhile now I've been having problems with this red brake light coming on which appears on the bottom right side of my dashboard. Every time I stop the light comes for a few seconds once I start driving again(like at a stop sign, etc.). It usually happens if I stop, but not 100% stop. Right now I'm dealing with cod weather and it seems to have made things worse. First, it popped up right when I started my car. When driving the light would on as usual, but it stays on sometimes until I step lightly on the brakes.

Doeds anybody have any idea what could be the cause of all this? What do this light indicate? Am I in any danger of having my car die out or have any other serious problems?

[RoB51988]

The red brake light your seeing on your dash is your emergency brakes. It lets you know that you have put your emergency brake on. Push your E brake down and release it and see if it still happens. May be a problem with a brake line.. or you might just need some brake fluid.

[shorod]

If you find the level of brake fluid in the master cylinder is low, please don't just add fluid. The level is low for a reason, either worn brake pads and/or shoes, or you have a leak.

-Rod