One of the things I religiously maintain in my vehicle is the brakes. Getting up and going fast is fun. Failing to stop on time is catastrophic. That is my slogan.
This should always be your principle on the road. You should never drive a truck with sub-optimal brakes. That’s why you should never ignore the Service Brake System light on your Chevy Silverado.
Other than just thinking about resetting it, you should first find out why the light came on and if it has anything to do with a braking system that needs some work done.
Why Did the Service Brake System Light Come on in My Chevy Silverado?
The Service Brake System pops up every time you start the vehicle like other lights and goes off within seconds if everything is fine.
You should only be worried if the light comes on and stays there after other startup diagnostic lights go off. This means that there is a problem with one or more components in your braking system.
Some of the most common problems that can trigger this light in a Chevy Silverado include:
Worn out Brake Pads
Worn-out brake pads will reduce the braking power on your truck. You could notice that you must push the brake pedal further for the same stopping distance. Another common sign of worn-out brake pads is a screech on your brakes every time you brake.
The system will notice the tear and wear whenever it tries to boost your brakes, applying ABS or electronic brake force distribution.
If you haven’t replaced your brake pads recently, consider having them checked and replaced if necessary.
Low Brake Fluid Level
Since your Chevy Silverado uses hydraulic brakes, very low brake fluid levels leave it with little to no fluid to transmit enough braking force to all four wheels.
This will leave with spongy brakes or no brakes at all. Your Chevy Silverado brake monitoring system can detect the drastic drop in performance even if you ignore it, prompting you to service the brake system soon.
You can tell the brake fluid levels by checking the reservoir under the hood. The level should be as close to the Max line as possible. It can fluctuate between this and Min, but it should never dip below.
You should be worried if you see no brake fluid in the reservoir. It means you have lost way more brake fluid than you should.
There’s Air in the Brake Lines
If you recently serviced your braking system, chances are you opened a brake line or two. This could have introduced air pockets in the system.
Air in hydraulic fluid is bad news. It compresses more than the brake fluid. The result is spongy and unpredictable brakes. You will not get consistent braking from different positions on the brake pedal.
Air in the brake lines is easy to detect and mostly happens after a brake job and failure to bleed the brake lines.
Once again, your Chevy Silverado’s braking system might detect this inconsistency and light up the Service Brake System light.
A Faulty Caliper or Bad Brake Rotor
On rare occasions when your brake caliper is faulty and isn’t responding to fluid pressure from the braking system, the vehicle might trigger the check brake system light.
The same can also happen if you have worn-out or warped brake rotors. They will not only make your brakes vibrate on use but can also reduce consistency and trick the ABS into pulsing the brakes wrong when necessary.
A Damaged or Faulty ABS System
The most software-monitored aspect of your braking system is the ABS. You have a couple of ABS sensors, a control module, and actuators.
The ABS and Service Brake System light will pop up if a sensor goes offline or doesn’t remit credible information.
Any problem in the control module or one of the actuators ABS expects to use will launch the error code.
Low or No Brake Boost
Another thing that could trigger your service brake system light is a problem in the brake boost system. Just like your power steering, your braking system gets a boost from the engine’s vacuum.
This makes it easier to brake as the brake booster amplifies any small effort you apply to the brake pedals.
Since electronic brake force distribution, ABS, and even automated parking uses this system to keep control of the vehicle, it makes sense for the entire system to monitor its performance. You will get the service brake system light if it notes any performance drop or no brake boost.
ProTip: Sometimes, you could confuse the parking brake light with the service brake system light. The parking brake light comes on when you engage the parking brake. It will stay on if the switch is faulty or you forget to disengage fully before driving off.
You Were Involved in an Accident
If any errors start popping up after having an accident, you should have your vehicle looked over by a certified mechanic.
Accidents are brutal. They can damage parts of a vehicle not directly involved in the accident.
Please don’t ignore the service brake system light in this case, as it could hint at catastrophic failure in the making.
How to Reset the Service Brake System Light
Please don’t rush to reset the light as soon as you see it. The first step should be troubleshooting the system to determine what triggered the light.
A good error code scanner can pull up error codes from the braking system giving you an insight into what could be the problem.
It would help if you moved on to reset the warning light only after fixing the problem. Ignoring a fix will leave you driving a truck with underperforming brakes, and the warning light will pop up again.
You can do a quick reset using a compatible scanner tool that can access and interact with the ECU, Powertrain Control Module, and other control modules in your Chevy.
Alternatively, if you fix the problem, you can force the control modules in your vehicle to reset and rescan the system. If they find no fault, the lights will automatically go off.
An easy way to do this is by disconnecting the car battery for at least 15 minutes. The only disadvantage is that this will reset everything, including trip meter readings, your infotainment system settings, etc.