Learn how to tackle the
brake failure problem in your car – Parts avatar Care for your car parts
Did you ever get into
the terrifying situation where your vehicle did not stop? It’s probably the
brake failure. We love to upgrade car’s parts and accessories.
Being able to stop is more important than being able to drive at fast speed.
Brakes produce noises like
screeching, grinding, clicking and squealing when they are malfunctioning. It
is very important to understand what each noise is referring to. But still what
causes brake failure? It’s very important to provide proper maintenance to our car’s brake system parts
for their proper functionality and also for our own safety!
The easiest way to avoid
brake failure is by maintaining the car regularly and being attentive to any
changes in the car’s performance.
What causes the brake failure? What are types
of brake failure? How to handle Brake failure under different circumstances? Parts
avatar answers your queries so you need not worry!
Symptoms
of Brake failure
The brakes should work
noiselessly. If there is a screeching sound, each time you halt, there is
probably something wrong with your car’s brakes. Disc brake caliper has a
warning tab, when the brake pads become too thin, the tab connects to the disc
and starts screaming. It’s a warning signal stating that you are out of brakes.
Call your mechanic without wasting time and get your car’s brake system
inspected. You will probably be asked to replace the car's brake pads.
Luckily you can get rid of car's screeching sound yourself and it’s a DIY thing. Note that not every
sound or noise means you need to replace brake pads. It can be any other brake
part so inspect thoroughly or ask your mechanic.
While pressing the
brake pedal if it gives you the feeling of being too hard or too spongy, it
could mean that the fluid is leaking. Leaky brake fluid results in sponginess
while pressing brake pedal. On the other hand, if the brake pedal feels too
hard it means there is air/water in the line as the brake fluid has the ability
to absorb water from its surroundings.
It is very important to bleed the brakes properly
at proper time intervals depending on your car’s specification. You can refer
to your car’s manual for more information. Check your car’s master cylinder
, front and rear brake hose,
brake booster
and valves properly for any sign of leakage or wear. So, make your brake pedals
are firm and solid.
Do you feel as if you
are receiving a foot message while pressing brake pedal? It might sound
comforting but it’s not a good sign for your brakes. Vibrations while braking
means the brake discs have been warped. The brakes have been grabbing/ not
grabbing and this happens when the brake discs suffer a lot of stress and heat.
Get the brake discs checked by your trusted mechanic.
Testing
the brakes
Get the habit of
testing and checking your car’s brake yourself and believe me its very easy and
takes only few seconds. There are two checks as Static and Rolling.
Static
Brake Test
It’s just the matter of
few seconds as all you have to do is to press your car’s brake pedal. There
should be resistance from the pedal. If the pedal feels soft and pushy to the
floor you have probably got a automotive brake fluid leak and your car’s
brakes need bleeding.
Rolling
Brake test
Rolling brake test can
be performed by pressing the brake pedal gently after moving off while driving
slowly. You need to feel the brakes at different intervals, to reassure
yourself that your car’s brakes are ok.
Now let us read about
the types of brake failure and what to do in such situations.
Total
Brake failure
Total brake failure is
quite risky as well as a rare phenomenon of brake failure. In 2010, Popular Auto Giant Honda
recalled 412000 SUVS at the risk of brake failure
and this step was imitated by many other auto makers like Toyota, Volvo and
Chrysler.
If you ever get into a
situation of total brake failure follow these tips:
1. Use the hand
operated parking brakes in on-off pumping motion and keep the release button
pressed as you do so.
2. Change the gear and
bring the clutch up gently if you have enough time and then use parking brake
to stop. In automatic transmission mode shift to “low” and in manual
transmission change one gear at a time.
3. Alternatively you
can change to a low gear and switch off the engine. Take caution as power
steering will fail as soon as the engine is turned off so make sure you have
space to stop without any risk. Another risk that can emerge while switching
off the engine is enabling of steering lock.
It is very important to know how
the steering lock operates before its too late as sometimes steering locks
engage even if the ignition switch had been turned off.
Absolute
Extreme
In this you will need
to crash your car in such a way that you don’t get harm, but that’s quite
hypothetical, isn’t it? In my view, it’s the last resort and mostly not
recommended. But the thing is brake failure is not always normal so while
keeping in mind the extreme risk possibility certain steps can be taken to
reduce the damage to you and your car.
If unfortunately, you
have no other option than crashing, one thing you must do is avoid deceleration
as it will lead to total loss of control. It is essential to control the car as
much as possible and then crash it. The main idea is to drag the car to the
halt state.
When the car has slowed
down using above method, you can crash by running parallel along a crash
barrier or a wall.
Note that this practice will do extensive damage to your
car. The main idea in such situations is to save yourself. Sometimes hitting a
kerb straight can cause your vehicle to flip and severe accident could happen.
Make sure to never crash head on into any other vehicle or object in front of
you.
Brake
Fade
Brake fade is a
situation when the brake loses its efficiency to operate completely in other
words brake failure has happened. Modern automakers design car brakes in such a
way that this situation is very rare to happen. In old models, overheated brake
pads often caused the brakes to malfunction and eventually brake failure
happened.
To prevent such a
failure in modern cars, regular servicing and bleeding the brakes are two
important things that can save your life. Check and replace Car’s Brake drums, Brake pads, Brake rotors, brake calipers and replace them if
they show any sign of aging. It is advised to check the leakage in the brake
and bleed them every 48000 miles at least.
Parking
Brake Failure
If your car’s parking
brakes fail, leave the car in first or reverse gear when you park and chock
your front wheels against the kerb. Don’t leave your car on the hills if your
parking brakes fail.
How
to handle Brake failure?
The most important
action in such situations to take is to stay calm. Do not panic and follow the instructions.
1. Lift the foot from
accelerator. Notice the traffic and pedestrians and find a safe place to pull
over.
2. Apply engine braking
by down shifting to a lower gear. As the vehicle slows down, keep shifting to
the lower gears.
3. Try engaging the
parking brake once the speed slows down.
4. As a final resort put the car in reverse.
It could ruin your car so just keep it for grave situations and as a last
option.
5. Try to maneuver the
car off the road if possible as you come to a complete stop. Call 911 and wait
for the help.
6. Get your cars
equipped with anti lock braking system
for such situations.
Parts avatar at last
advises you to stay calm and stay safe. Replace performance auto parts at cheap
prices here.
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