Well like the title has brake failure warning light came on… On 2021 spider RTL… At 500 miles or so went for a ride on a hot day and failure warning light came on… Looked on the Internet and spider lovers came up… Most post said to add a little break fluid to the reservoirs… Did that and it seemed to take care of it ..... A couple rides and a few more miles down the road around 700 miles now on the bike and it happens again on a hot day… Ended up sitting in the shade for a while and the Warning went away… Fixed it self I guess… My question is… Is this a known issue with the 2020 and 2021s RTL’s… Anybody else have this happen to them?… PS… The brakes feel no different before or after brake warning light comes on and off… Seems to be heat related though… Any thoughts would be appreciated
I was constantly plagued with a similar message on our 2015 ST Limited for several years! The message was not constant. It would go for days with nothing then pop up for several hours. The issue started early on when the Spyder was still under warranty (nearest dealer was not close so I never took it in). The reservoirs were always topped off so I knew it wasn't lack of brake fluid. The fluid level sensors were not easy to get to (the '21 RTL is much easier!). After a few years, I had to order a cam position sensor so I ordered a brake fluid sensor for about $45. There are 2 but I changed the one that was the easiest to get to and that solved the problem!!
Did it go into "Limp Mode" when the brake failure light went on? If so, you could have been "riding" the brake pedal. If you ride the brake, you're telling the computer you want to stop. When you don't stop, it goes into limp mode. When you turn off the machine and pull the key, it resets itself. Just a thought.
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Just add a couple of tablespoons of fluid .... I'll bet the light goes off .... Spyders seem to be VERY sensitive to fluid amount ...... good luck .... Mike .... PS clean any drips IMMEDIATELY, brake fluid is like ACID
Yup, mine did it yesterday. Turned it off and back on and it went away. Rode all day today and all is well. No clue what caused it. I am considering adding a red LED to the dash that comes on with the brake lights to alert me if my foot is riding the brake( I dont believe it was). I do have the large brake pedal and had to adjust my brake light switch because it was staying on.
Yep ... I did add some brake fluid to the reservoir the first time it did it at 500 or so miles.... check...yep .... read on here not to ride the brake pedal before I purchased spyder ......was good on that also.....check......bike never went into limp mode......brakes didn’t feel any different at anytime.....no fluid anywhere ....all dry......I check shop floor every time I get ready for ride.....only time it happens is when it’s hot out and take a ride......interesting.......does not happen right away.
Yep ... I did add some brake fluid to the reservoir the first time it did it at 500 or so miles.... check...yep .... read on here not to ride the brake pedal before I purchased spyder ......was good on that also.....check......bike never went into limp mode......brakes didn’t feel any different at anytime.....no fluid anywhere ....all dry......I check shop floor every time I get ready for ride.....only time it happens is when it’s hot out and take a ride......interesting.......does not happen right away.
This is begining to sound very much like what used to happen back in a previous life/ancient history to my Race & Rally cars brakes on hot days when the brake fluid 'boiled' after lotsa use &/or a few really heavy braking sessions.... .
None of you had been using the brakes a fair bit in the last 30 mins or so before this happened had you?? Nor given it a couple of all out 'emergency stops' in the 10-15 mins before the warning light came on? . Failing something like that, which I'm reasonably sure those of you who've had this happen would know about, plus the fact that it's mainly being reported more often than previously on the latest NEW Spyders, then I'd be guessing at it being due to something along the lines of a hot enough day coinciding with a very mild brake fluid contamination issue or caliper end fluid contamination/incorrect pad fitting/poor piston sealing etc; said contamination possibly even happening at the factory/dealer end during assembly??
Even just a tiny bit of water contamination in the brake fluid could produce this sort of issue if things get hot enough, and the abnormally hot weather you lot have been experiencing might've been enough to push it into that realm - just a tiny amount of water absorbed into the brake fluid, especially if it's been absorbed thru a not quite tight join/bleeder/dodgy piston seal/whatever at the caliper end could do this.... A hot day, high ambient temps, higher road temps, a few otherwise normal brake applications and that tiny bit of water contamination, which is not really enough to create an big enough issue to cause a major brake problem &/or shut down in the normal course of events, but teamed with the high ambient & road temps becomes just enough contamination in the fluid to start the water molecules boiling/turning to steam as the fluid starts to warm up locally in/near the discs/calipers thru a little use & some heat transfer - effectively meaning the brake system fluid develops juuust enough 'give' at the disc end on application to trigger the warning etc; but then letting the machine sit for just a few minutes sees the discs/calipers cool off fairly quickly (as per their design) which allows the localised steam pockets to re-condense & be absorbed back into the fluid again, effectively resolving the issue for now; only to have the same thing recur & happen once again the next time you get a hot enough day and the discs/calipers get heated up enough, but not unless that 'juuust enough heating up' of the discs/calipers just happens to occur on a hot enough day....
Has anyone who's had this issue got access to a Brake Fluid Contamination Test Kit?? Or maybe just anyone with a 2020/21 Spyder?? If not, a Brake Specialist might do it for you, but if someone can test the brake fluid to see if it's contaminated at all, preferably by bleeding a little fluid out at the caliper, then at the very least it'd clear contaminated fluid up as a possibility?! . If the brake fluid IS contaminated at all; OR if you can't test the fluid but don't want to risk it being something like this anyway, the answer would usually be to completely flush & bleed the brake fluid, replacing all the brake fluid currently in the system with fresh & known un-contaminated brake fluid.... but then again, these new Spyders should still be under warranty, shouldn't they?!? SOooo....
Just sayin'
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 08-01-2021 at 01:50 AM.
Sounds pretty reasonable to me that that could happen....haven’t rallied the new spyder yet....in fact treated it like a new born baby.....got an appointment for at least the codes to be read in a week .... so we shall see what it says what codes have been thrown..
If it happens again. Active codes can be displayed. Fault codes is a menu item under the settings gear icon. Active codes only, not occured. The fault code may give you a hint what it is complaining about.
Sounds pretty reasonable to me that that could happen....haven’t rallied the new spyder yet....in fact treated it like a new born baby.....got an appointment for at least the codes to be read in a week .... so we shall see what it says what codes have been thrown..
DOT4 only Spyders are hyper sensitive on brake fluid. Hopefully not a stuck or bad sensor (warranty) maybe way to see active codes without dealer. With bike running try push & holding the mode & set buttons then push in on blinker (cancel). New dash maybe not enjoy the lack of diapers changing on new baby
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This has happened to my '20 RT multiple times. I also posted and asked questions and most folks say add a little brake fluid or this has happened on older units, bleed the brakes properly, etc. I ended up having it towed to the dealer the 1st time it occurred and they pretty much said no problems.
With that said, each time it has happened, it cleared after shutting down and restarting Gwen(that's her name ). I was super nervous the 1st time it happened, and it gets my spyder sense tingling every time it has happened since (approximately 6 times since December 2020). I try to be aware of foot position as someone mentioned that I may have been slightly riding the brakes while riding w/o knowing it. I think that is unlikely, but I won't say impossible as I'm still a relatively new rider and I try to anticipate braking and stopping situations.
Anyway, I think this may be a less of a mechanical brake system failure(at least that's what I'm hoping), than a faulty sensor or something similar. I've taken it to the dealer 2x regarding this and still no answer. If I'm not mistaken, the fault code C0042. Do you recall the fault code that appeared?
My 2 cents is take it to the dealer. You have a warranty. Why leave it to chance? Let them confirm or deny the suspicions and opinions of the many comments you'll find here. If it is a problem, maybe BRP will see enough reports of this happening that they'll do something to address it.
I am thinking it could be a sticky brake light switch. Hoping its that simple. Installled a dash mounted LED to let me know when my brake lights are on. I can monitor it that way and make sure I am not touching the brake pedal with my foot. 4700 miles on my 2021 and this is the first time I got the brake failure code. 70 degree day, normal riding.
My 2020 RT has produced brake failure warnings from the very beginning. I can provoke the warning any time I want to. Just stop at my mail box and put on the parking brake -- Bingo! Brake failure. First few times it happened I checked the brakes from end to end. Resets if the key is left off until the lights and displays go off, eg full shut down. I should mention that the mail box is on a slight slope. And the fluid level is still at the very tip-top of the reservoir.
After insuring the brakes were fine, I attribute it to overly aggressive safety-check software and just ignore the warning in those circumstances.
Head in the game, eyes down the road... 2020RT
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Well..... I decided not to take bike in to the shop. Brake failure warning only comes on when it’s really hot out in my area.....and only comes on if I park in direct sun light after riding. Eat lunch and come out to start up... Going to wait till 3000 miles first service. I’m at about 800 miles now..brakes don’t feel any different when warning comes on then turns itself off later in ride. Besides I don’t use the brakes all that much anyway.
Well..... I decided not to take bike in to the shop. Brake failure warning only comes on when it’s really hot out in my area.....and only comes on if I park in direct sun light after riding. Eat lunch and come out to start up... Going to wait till 3000 miles first service. I’m at about 800 miles now..brakes don’t feel any different when warning comes on then turns itself off later in ride. Besides I don’t use the brakes all that much anyway.
I repeat my request from before. Next time you get the brake failure warning. Do not turn off the ignition. Go into the menu and get the fault code. Post the code on this thread.
I am getting an intermittent recurring fault code (C0042) on my new old stock 2022 RT Limited. The most recent occurrence was on this weekend's ride. It was in an area where straight, level roads are uncommon and brake use was higher than normal. I did ride the brake down hills to keep my speed in check. When I got the fault alarm (the orange "!" and the "((I))") we parked the bike to check for visible leaks (none found), waited a bit, started it back up, and the fault code had cleared. I will be checking the brake fluid level again and contacting my dealer again.
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 08-14-2023 at 06:59 AM.
Reason: Removed post title - many only see main thread title, & post titles mess with searching!
Lee B
2022 Can Am RT Limited
2021 Honda NC750X DCT
I am getting an intermittent recurring fault code (C0042) on my new old stock 2022 RT Limited. The most recent occurrence was on this weekend's ride. It was in an area where straight, level roads are uncommon and brake use was higher than normal. I did ride the brake down hills to keep my speed in check. When I got the fault alarm (the orange "!" and the "((I))") we parked the bike to check for visible leaks (none found), waited a bit, started it back up, and the fault code had cleared. I will be checking the brake fluid level again and contacting my dealer again.
Do not ride the brakes, select a lower gear to descend a steep grade. Riding the brakes will cause fault codes.
The 2020 and newer are not as susceptible to the low fluid level as the earlier models. However, 2020 through some 2022 models have a brake switch that is prone to failure and has an active recall. This switch has two separate circuits. One is for the brake lights, and the other informs the CANBUS that you have your foot on the brake. IF the switch thinks you have your foot on the brake, it then monitors the brake pressure and wants to see a 500 psi pressure increase in a certain amount of time. If the pressure doesn't increase, you get a fault. This is an internal failure of the switch.
I am thinking it could be a sticky brake light switch. Hoping its that simple. Installled a dash mounted LED to let me know when my brake lights are on. I can monitor it that way and make sure I am not touching the brake pedal with my foot. 4700 miles on my 2021 and this is the first time I got the brake failure code. 70 degree day, normal riding.
Joel easiest way to see if the switch is sticking on is to try and put the Cruise Control on, the bike will not engage Cruise if the brake switch is on at all.
Brake failure warning on 2021 RTL
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Originally Posted by Rockdog
. 
. Failing something like that, which I'm reasonably sure those of you who've had this happen would know about, plus the fact that it's mainly being reported more often than previously on the latest NEW Spyders, then I'd be guessing at it being due to something along the lines of a hot enough day coinciding with a very mild brake fluid contamination issue or caliper end fluid contamination/incorrect pad fitting/poor piston sealing etc; said contamination possibly even happening at the factory/dealer end during assembly?? 
. If the brake fluid IS contaminated at all; OR if you can't test the fluid but don't want to risk it being something like this anyway, the answer would usually be to completely flush & bleed the brake fluid, replacing all the brake fluid currently in the system with fresh & known un-contaminated brake fluid.... but then again, these new Spyders should still be under warranty, shouldn't they?!? SOooo.... 
enjoy the lack of diapers changing on new baby 
). I was super nervous the 1st time it happened, and it gets my spyder sense tingling every time it has happened since (approximately 6 times since December 2020). I try to be aware of foot position as someone mentioned that I may have been slightly riding the brakes while riding w/o knowing it. I think that is unlikely, but I won't say impossible as I'm still a relatively new rider and I try to anticipate braking and stopping situations. 
