Brake Pad Wear Sensor
A sacrificial sensor in the brake pad that tells the driver the friction material is nearly gone.
It is designed to be destroyed, which makes its fault code ambiguous by nature. The commonest type is a wire loop moulded into the pad: when the material wears far enough the disc grinds through the loop and the circuit opens. An open circuit is therefore the intended success condition, not a malfunction.
So the code should be read as "inspect the pads" first and "check the wiring" second. A cable damaged on the suspension, a connector left unplugged, or a sensor not transferred to the new pads all produce the same open circuit — and the last of those is genuinely common, leaving a car whose next set will wear out with no warning at all.
Not all of them are electrical. Many vehicles instead use a sprung metal tab that scrapes the disc and makes a deliberate squeal. That noise is the part working, not a fault, and it stops when the pads are replaced.
Also known as: brake wear sensor, pad wear indicator, brake lining wear sensor, wear indicator, brake pad sensor
Referenced by 2 codes
Codes involving this component (2)
Other components in Braking, Steering and Suspension
- Brake Booster 92
- Wheel Speed Sensor 72
- ABS Hydraulic Modulator 69
- Brake Pressure Sensor 42
- Tone Wheel 39
- Yaw Rate Sensor 28
- Brake Pedal Position Sensor 23
- Steering Angle Sensor 21
- Electric Power Steering Motor 13
- Ride Height Sensor 7
- Tyre Pressure Sensor 5
- Electric Park Brake Actuator 4
- Park Brake Control Module 4
- Air Suspension Compressor 3
- Brake Fluid Level Sensor 2
- Traction Control Switch 2
- Brake Caliper 1
Information, not instruction
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