1. If your brakes have become non-responsive, turn on your emergency flashers immediately. Honk your horn repeatedly to let other drivers know about you.

2. Shift the car into a lower gear if you can. On automatic gearboxes a lower gear is typically labeled L or 2.

3. Once you’ve done this, pump the brakes. This will build up enough pressure in the hydraulic system to give a little bit of resistance in the wheels, forcing the car to slow down.

4. If your car has anti-lock brakes, press down hard on the brakes.

5. Still not stopping? Shift to neutral, then put on the parking brake. This should bring you to a total stop.*

Putting the car in neutral basically disconnects the engines from the wheels, which removes any force from moving the wheels forward (besides inertia). Shifting to neutral should be a last ditch effort, so be careful.

Also, the parking brake is not powered by hydraulics. So, if your brakes go out, you can use the parking brake as another system to help you stop. Be careful with the parking brake so you can prevent skidding out of control.

Luckily, many vehicles have fail-safes that can help you slow down even when your brakes go out. In the unlikely event that your brakes go completely out, you can use these methods to help bring your car to a halt.

Note: while these answers to the question “What should you do if your brakes fail?” will help stop your car, you will still need distance no matter what method. Without distance while braking during a failure, you may slam into traffic. Signal when possible and maneuver your vehicle to the right lane and then the shoulder.

Signs of Possible Brake Failure

Before having to use the above steps, try and spot brake failure before it happens.

  • Grinding noises
  • Brake Squealing
  • Sluggish response on the brakes
  • Can’t stop when you put your foot on the brake
  • Irregular movements
  • Warning lights
  • Shaking steering wheel
  • Car pulls to one side

 

What Causes Brake Failure?

Brakes work because of friction. If your brake becomes too hot, it can heat up the surrounding area and diminish the amount of friction available just by wearing it down. This is called brake fade.

Brake fade can be split into 4 categories:

  • Domino – when some brakes on your vehicle have more resistance than the rest of the brakes. Overloaded brakes due to domino fade can result in drastic failure.
  • Fluid – when brake lines wear down and crack brake fluid can escape from the system, causing hydraulic brakes to fail.
  • Friction – when the brake is unable to stop by using just the pad or other friction-causing mechanism. This can result in worn brake pads.
  • Mechanical when a brake drum expands due to inadequate conditions through too much heat from friction. The expansion can cause other brake mechanisms to be affected, resulting in failure.

Brake fade can also be exacerbated by low or old brake fluid, warped brake rotor, oil or grease on the brakes, and other suspension and tire issues.

Sometimes, brake fade is not the culprit. Items such as misaligned brakes or sticky brake calipers can affect the brakes. And, if the brakes spring mechanism comes loose, you may be in drastic trouble.

How to Prevent Brake Failure

 

Check out the tips below to learn what to do if your brakes fail.

If you are going in for an oil change, check your brake fluid at the same time. It is recommended that brake fluid is flushed out every 4 years (or 48,000 miles). That way, any excess water your brake fluid has absorbed is removed, improving your brakes and their longevity.

Be aware of your car

If your brakes sound weird, don’t pretend you don’t hear anything. Go to a mechanic and get them looked at. The same goes for your stopping distance; as brakes degrade, your car needs more distance to stop.

Pay attention to warning lights

If a warning light for your brakes pops up, go to a mechanic. The worst that could happen is that it’s a bad light and you’re out a couple bucks.

*Going to neutral can be a difficult decision. if the issue is your throttle is stuck then you should put the car into natural. however when slowing down the resistance from the gears turning over the pistons will slow your car down more.

Category: driving safety tips

Author: Daun Thompson

Daun Thompson has spent years acting in both film and theatre which has been paramount in launching her onto the comedy stage (incidentally, without a helmet, resulting in a nasty concussion). Being a funny girl is a full time job. A job that she hopes that one day will come with dental benefits and a 401K. Unlike her work, she is biodegradable, yet flame retardant. And gentle to the touch. Her goal in life??? For strangers to approach her and ask "Didn't you used to be somebody?" In the late 1980's she cut her teeth at the Velveeta Room on 6th Street in Austin, Texas ... the original room with the stripper pole. From there, she moved to northern California and worked with many comedy icons, like Mitch Hedberg, Marc Maron, Colin Quinn, Vic Dunlop, Huck Flyn, Michael Mancini, Doug Ferrari, Shang and Brian Posehn. Daun has been a licensed driver safety instructor and trainer with Comedy Defensive Driving for over 9 years. Her knowledge of driving safety laws keeps her readers informed and engaged with her blog adventures. She still continues to do stand-up comedy, sometimes in a reclining position...just to be different.