Brake fluid symbol
The brake fluid symbol, a circle between curved brackets with liquid in its lower third. As a red dashboard light it means the brake fluid level is low; on the vehicle itself it marks brake fluid.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations describe the low brake fluid tell-tale as a circle between parentheses whose lower third contains a liquid, shown in red or red-orange. Ford’s F-150 manual lists the symbol among those you may see on the vehicle, labelled “Brake fluid – non petroleum based”. Ford’s F-150 and Volkswagen also light their general brake system warning light for low brake fluid.
Also searched as: brake fluid cap symbol, brake fluid reservoir symbol, brake fluid warning light, low brake fluid light.
Dashboard symbols vary by manufacturer. The vehicle's owner's manual or a qualified mechanic can say what a light means for a particular vehicle.
On the reservoir cap
In the United States, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 135 requires a brake fluid warning, permanently marked on the reservoir’s filler cap or within 100 mm (3.94 in) of it, naming the type of brake fluid the maker recommends, such as DOT 3. Chevrolet’s Bolt EUV manual says its reservoir holds DOT 4 brake fluid, as shown on the reservoir cap.
When it comes on
One of the conditions FMVSS No. 135 lets a maker choose for lighting the brake warning is the fluid in a master cylinder reservoir dropping below the maker’s recommended safe level or one-fourth of the reservoir’s capacity, whichever is greater. Ford’s F-150 shows the message “Brake Fluid Level Low”, and its brake system warning lamp lights for a low brake fluid level whatever the parking brake’s position.
Look-alikes
The brake system warning light has the same circle between parentheses with an exclamation mark inside it; Canada’s regulations give both lights the same colours.
What the manuals say to do
Ford’s F-150 manual pairs the Brake Fluid Level Low message with the instruction to have the brake system inspected immediately. Volkswagen marks its red brake light “Stop!”.
Read next
- Next in Dashboard warning lightsLights on indicator (parking lights)A green indicator that the car’s outside lights are on: the parking, side marker and tail lights, with or without the headlights.
- The same shape in Accessibility symbolsAccessible Icon (dynamic wheelchair symbol)A wheelchair symbol with the figure leaning forward and an arm swept back on the wheel, from the Accessible Icon Project. It marks the same accessible places as the International Symbol of Access; the project put it in the public domain.
More dashboard warning lights
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles or curves and waves.
Sources
- Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038): Identification of Controls, Tell-tales and Indicators, C.R.C., c. 1038, Schedule IV, s. 101, Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website, s. 101, Table
- 2020 F-150 Owner's Manual, Ford Motor Company, Introduction: Symbols Glossary; Instrument Cluster: Brake System Warning Lamp; Information Messages: Brake Fluid Level Low
- Standard No. 135; Light vehicle brake systems, 49 CFR 571.135 (FMVSS 135), U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations), S5.4.3; S5.5.1(a)(1)
- 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Owner’s Manual, Chevrolet (General Motors), Vehicle Care: Brake Fluid
- Volkswagen: Dashboard Warning and Indicator Lights, Volkswagen of America
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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