My brake warning light comes on even when I have the handbrake all the way down. Can this mean that my pads are wearing thin?

 

or your fluid is low

 

Your brake fluid is low. Top it off and the light will go out.

 

even if your fluid isn't near the min mark, fill it up to the max mark. I had that problem when my fluid was close to the min mark but it wasn't there yet.

 

DO NOT top off your fluid...if you do...next time you have a brake job done the fluid will overflow or possibly burst a brake line when you compress the caliper piston...the low fluid is probably becuase like you said your pads are almost gone. I would inspect your pads and see how much life is left. If they are almost gone, get a brake job and the light should go off becuase the amount of fluid in the resivior will rise.

 

I topped off my fluid a month ago & the lights went away. I brought it in for a brake inspection & they said I have 20% brakes left. I'm getting new pads in middle of January.

 

If you have ABS brakes, you should never force the piston into the caliper so that the fluid flows back into the master cylinder, because it will force the dirtest fluid through the ABS unit. Release the bleeder screw to allow the excess fluid to flow out of the caliper while pushing back the piston.
When changing pads the fluid should also be changed anyway. ABS brake systems should have the fluid changed every 2 years.
If the brake fluid is low, add more. The last thing you want to do is suck air into the system.

 

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