Your car brakes are among the most paramount safety components in your vehicle. Without excellent and functional car brakes, any minute that you spend on the road is a dangerous minute. For this reason, bracing service is, therefore, one of the routine maintenance services that you cannot ignore. Fortunately, brakes send a signal when something is wrong, or they need to be repaired. Ignoring such signs exposes you to many potential road accidents. On the other hand, waiting will lead to more expensive auto parts or other problems in the auto. Here are some of these symptoms of brake failure that you should look out for.
Squealing or Vibrating When Braking
Ideally, when you are braking, the brakes are supposed to remain silent without any noise or vibrations. For this reason, if you can feel the brake pedal vibration when you brake, then this is a sign that all is not well with the brake system. On the other hand, you may realize vibration on the steering wheel when you apply the brakes. That may be a sign that the brakes are operating unevenly. Additionally, the quivering may be a result of improper mounting on the wheel nut, making the brakes malfunction. Therefore, as soon as you realize any vibrations or squealing when you are braking, get mechanical help before it is too late.
ABS Dashboard Light
On your dashboard, several lights illuminate to show when there is a problem with any part of the car. One of the bulbs found on the panel is the ABS light, which stands for the anti-lock braking system. Whenever you see this light, be careful not to ignore it as this could lead to future problems. That is a sign that a brake problem has been detected, thus triggering the ABS light to be on. As soon as you see it, contact your mechanic for them to diagnose and advise accordingly.
The Car Pulls When Braking
Braking should not have any effect on the movement of the car. For this reason, if you realize that your vehicle moves left or right when you brake, then there is a problem with one or more wheels. That could be a sign that the brake pads are wearing out, which will make it impossible for you to brake when you need to. At this point, you may need to replace it with either a ceramic or metallic brake pad. On the other hand, this could mean that there are impurities on the brake fluid, or there is a stuck brake cylinder. Therefore, contact an expert auto repair shop and have them check on your brakes to ensure that all is well. That should be done regardless of whether or not you have had any issues with the brakes.
Soft Brakes
Although brakes should not be too hard to press, they should also not be too soft. That means that if your brake pedal is too relaxed, then all is not well. More often than not, a spongy brake pedal implies that there could be a brake fluid leak. The fluid leak is more often than not caused by heavily worn pads. On the other hand, the hole may have developed in one of the wheel cylinders or the master brake cylinders. Therefore, if you realize that your brake pedals are unusually soft, then take mechanical actions on this before it wrecks any havocs.
Weird Sounds in The Brake Systems
Weird sounds are the first indication that there is a problem with one of the systems of the car, and the brake system is of no exemption. If you can hear any issues with the brake system, then this means that problems need to be fixed urgently. More often than not, it is tempting to continue driving and ignoring the sounds, especially if you have not experienced any problems with the brakes yet. Ignoring this could lead you to future regrets. The noises could be a sign that the rotor or brake pad sensor, among other parts, needs to be repaired. If you want to troubleshoot issues on your car’s anti-lock braking system (ABS) quickly, you need to learn first how the cars of the 70s adapted to this innovation.
Leaking Fluid Problems
More often than not, most of the problems in the various car systems manifest through leaking fluid. Therefore, leaking fluid is not necessarily a sign of broken brakes. Nevertheless, other issues such as brakes that are too light could result in wearing of the brake pads, thus causing problems with the hydraulic system. That could be a leak of the brake fluid, or one entering the oil reservoir. Therefore, take action before the issues result in a bigger and more complicated one.
Being on the road without quality brakes can wreck many havocs. For this reason, as a responsible car owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that you get the brakes repairs as soon as possible. Above are symptoms of brake failure that you should not ignore.