You don’t want to be driving in a car with brakes that fail or are starting to fail. The inability to stop is scary and can cause serious accidents and injuries. Learn the signs that your brakes need to be replaced before it gets to this point from your Toyota dealership near Philadelphia.
Check Your Brake Pads
The pads are what squeeze the rotor to make the car stop. Look in between your wheel spokes and locate the round, metal rotor. If you don’t have spokes you can see through, remove the tire to see the rotor. You’ll see the pads attached to calipers on the outside. If the pads are under one-quarter of an inch thick, you need to get them changed.
Vibrating
Pulsing and vibrations of the brake pedal when braking indicate a rotor is warped. The brake pads are unable to grip the rotor correctly. Warping happens after long periods of braking like driving down a steep mountain or towing a heavy load.
Squeaking and Grinding
Brake pads are designed so that when they are too worn down, the driver will be alerted by this noise. Replace the brakes right away. If you hear a grinding, you’ve let the pads run down way too far and are doing damage to the rotors. This is much more expensive than replacing the pads.
Pedal Sinking to the Floor
If the brake pedal falls all the way down to the floor or your brake response time is slowing, the brake system might have a leak. The leak could be in the hose or it is leaking fluid. If you see a puddle on the ground beneath where you park the car it could be a sign of a brake fluid leak.
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