Your car’s brakes are your first defense line against traffic fatalities. However, even the best car brakes have limited durability. Over time, brakes wear out and stop working if you do not prioritize dealing with them. This situation is called brake failure, and it is pretty frightening and dangerous.
Brake failure can be very sudden and deadly. Nobody wants to imagine their car not stopping, especially when driving at freeway speeds. Fortunately, brake failure is rare today because modern vehicles have extensive features that guarantee the occupants’ safety. However, there are always exceptions. This article will expose you to the likely causes of brake failure, signs that your brakes might fail, and how to survive a brake failure in these rare exceptions. Read ahead!
The Common Causes of Brake Failure
Brake failure is pretty deadly as it leads to several death cases yearly. The following are the seven major causes of brake failure:
Owner’s Negligence
Negligence is the most common cause of brake failure. Like many other automobile parts, brakes have a limited lifespan and should be regularly examined for wear. The lifespan of your brake shoes and pads will reduce if you constantly stop and go in cities. Although many brake shoes and pad brands boast high durability, the estimate is based on typical driving conditions.
Damaged Rotor Disks
Damaged rotor disks on your wheel can reduce the lifespan of your brake pads, causing stopping difficulty. When your brake pads are replaced, ensure to have your rotor disks smoothed by a professional mechanic.
Overheating Brake Pads
The car brake pads overheat due to excessive use. When this happens, they become brittle or stiff. The hardening reduces the ability of brake pads to grip the wheel rotor disk properly, thus increasing braking distance.
Driving Through Mud or Water
Drive cautiously in wet conditions when your wheels are submerged in water. The reason is that when you drive through water or mud, the required friction in the brake pads and rotor disks will reduce. Try tapping the brakes mildly to remove excess water and re-establish the friction between the rotor disks and brake pads.
Leaking Hydraulic Fluid
Oil and other hydraulic fluid can leak from your engine or brake lines. When you notice that stopping is difficult, examine your brakes to eliminate contaminants from a leaking hydraulic line.
Loss of Hydraulic Brake Fluid Pressure
This condition will reduce your ability to stop quickly. If you perceive that your brakes are not working or are working modestly, tap your brakes severally to force fluid throughout the brake system. Although this technique stops your car, you should not use it unless necessary.
Vehicle Overloading
Load your car as recommended by the owner’s manual. Otherwise, it will affect its ability to stop and can lead to brake system failure.
Signs of a Brake Failure
When you begin to notice the following signs, you should get to safety and go for a car brake service as soon as possible:
- An increase in braking distance hints that your brakes may be struggling, making it longer to stop the vehicle.
- If your brake pads feel unusual, like jumpy or mushy, there is a problem.
- Unusual sounds like grinding noises from your brakes are signs of brake malfunction.
- Sometimes, your brakes can fail without any warning and give no response when you press the brake pedal. This situation is an obvious sign of car brake problems.
What to Do When Your Brakes Fail
Having observed the causes and signs of brake failure. Let’s move on to what you should do when your car’s brake fails:
Stay Calm
Staying calm when your vehicle suddenly refuses to come to a stop is easier said than done. Nonetheless, it would be best if you avoided panicking, which will cause you to make erratic movements, swerve, and make dangerous decisions.
Remove Your Foot from the Gas
When pressing the brake, you’ve probably removed your foot from the gas pedal. However, you might start pressing any pedal your legs can touch when you are in a panic. Taking your foot off the gas pedal can help you slow down.
Attract Attention to Yourself
Turn on hazard lights and honk to warn other drivers that you are having a problem. You might also choose to flash your lights. They may not respond but will get out of your way.
Feel for Objects Under Your Brake Pedal
Sometimes, brake failures can occur because of objects under the brake pedal. Put your foot under the pedal and kick out any object under there. Objects like cups and bottles can get behind the brake pedal, making it impossible to depress it.
Don’t Turn off the Vehicle
Only turn off the ignition once your vehicle has stopped entirely. If you turn it off, you might lose the ability to steer while moving.
Don’t Go into Reverse or Park
You will only waste time going into reverse or park as it will not help and may be impossible. It might even cause you to lose control of your car.
Drive up a Hill
Drive to a hill or any upward slope to slow your car down. Moreover, you must be careful of the hill so you won’t roll back down.
Apply Steady Pressure to the Brake Pedal
If you have anti-lock brakes, you can get them working by activating the anti-lock braking system (ABS). It will pump the brakes and build pressure to get them working. ABS brakes do not lock up, so you must give them firm, steady pressure.
Use Your Engine Brakes
Shifting into a lower gear can slow the vehicle when driving a manual. Press the clutch and slowly shift into the lower gears; the engine will slow the vehicle down. If you drive an automatic, move from D to 3, 2, and 1 to limit the gear and slow the car down.
Carefully Apply the Emergency Brakes
The emergency brake can stop the car in an emergency. It is best to use it when your car has slowed down because when used at high speeds, it can cause your car to spin or skid off the road. Press the brake release button when applying the emergency brake so you can quickly release it if the brakes lock up.
Conclusion
Brake failure is one of the primary causes of traffic fatalities. But thankfully, such fatalities have reduced in recent years due to extensive safety features fitted into modern cars. Nonetheless, car brakes not working correctly can be salvaged if you follow the life-saving tips mentioned above.
You should check your brake system constantly for wear to ensure safe driving. If you want to order brake pads replacement and other car parts, you can visit our website at Yuma Honda. We provide quality car parts, efficient car servicing, and affordable used and new cars.
Connect with us
