Intermittent parking brake light & battery light

20

Asked by kkennedy19 Jul 28, 2015 at 10:10 PM about the 2001 Subaru Outback H6-3.0 VDC

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

my parking brake dash light and battery warning light went on a couple of weeks ago, then went off. I thought it was the alternator. Had that and the battery replaced but still have had the lights go on and off randomly. Any ideas? I've checked the wires and grounding, seem to be fine. I am afraid to drive any distances or at night.

3 Answers

3,950

check again the wires from battery to the Computer module. Use a compress air can and the blow any dust. Then go under the dash (from front seat passenger and follow the wires. My primary diagnostic would be that there are some slightly loose wires creating fhe lights to come on.

5 people found this helpful.
20

Should it matter if it's a Subaru brand alternator? I just went through my records and realized I've had my alternator replaced 2 times in the last 5 years by 2 different mechanics. Should I be using Subaru certified parts??

2 people found this helpful.
3,950

No. However the alternator needs to be under the strict spec of your Subaru. The fact of replacing an alternator so frequently could demonstrate that the alternator works to hard to regenerate your battery. Therefore, in my opinion, i still believe your issue is a ground fault somewhere.

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