You E-Brake could be stuck on, or rusted on to itself, or you may have a broken brake cable. The brake may "technically" be released, but the actual brake may be stuck.
Could also be a bad sensor.
You may also have a blown brake light. Check to see if it goes on for a few seconds when starting the car
EDIT: The brake light is also designed in some cars to warn you of low brake fluid. Check your manuel about your dash lights.
If the light stays on when the emergency brake is not engaged, this indicates the brakes are getting low and need to be replaced.
It could be something as simple as a faulty or out of adjustment emergency brake switch. If that's not it, it could be the ABS. Often when the ABS fails the computer will turn on the emergency brake light.
SOUNDS LIKE A WARNING LIGHT TO ALERT YOU THAT YOUR EMERGENCY BRAKE IS STILL ON PERHAPS YOU NEED THECABLE ADJUSTED Check the brake light bulbs to see if any are burned out. On the 1983 it is linked to the brake fluid level.
check that the emergency brake pedal is completely up.If ok disconnect the electric cable from the emergency brake pedal. i think is brown in color if light turns off the problem is there.
The light should be controlled by a switch operated by the emergency brake handle. The switch could be out of adjustment or could be bad.
Check your break fluid, it might be running low
you need a new brake pressure differential switch
Try topping the brake fluid up
The brake light in your dash comes on , if the brake fluid level in the brake master cylinder in your engine compartment is LOW , and also if your emergency brake is on
It is possible that a wheel speed sensor is bad. This will cause the anti lock braking to not read the wheel correctly which would be a brake problem that would cause a light.
You need to find and fix the problem. Either your emergency brake is not completely off or you have a problem in your cars brake system. That warning light is there to warn you that a serious problem exists.
Having too much play in the emergency brake handle in the middle of the console could lead to the brake light flickering. At least this was true for me.