I own a 2004 XJ8 with 124k miles that I parked in a neighbor's garage while we evacuated from Hurricane Florence. When I returned in 5 days, I started the car to remove from the garage but noticed I had a Parking Brake Fault light on. I tried to remove the light by disconnecting the battery only to find out that the fault came back. I can drive the car but have the red brake light lit if I drove forward. I drove the car about 2 miles to my independent mechanic to diagnose the problem. He called me yesterday and told me the parking brake cables Left and Right were broken and that I needed to replace the brake rotors and pads. Would a broken cable cause the Parking Brake Fault light to come on and would they also cause the rotors and pads to wear out? I think the rear rotors and pads were worn out before the cable broke and that they needed replacing due to the age of the car. I have no record of replacing the rotors or pads on this car. The real concern I have is if the cables, rotors and pads are replaced will that make the Parking Brake Fault to go out? My mechanic was not sure. Can anyone help me understand what is going on. Thank you.

 

I had an 04 s-type with a fault. I pulled the rear wheels and found the cable had simply come free of the brake assembly. reconnected it and no more fault. that was one of those fixes when the gods where looking over my shoulder!

 

Doesn't sound quite right to me.The parking brake only applies on one side.
I suggest that you get another opinion