Brakes Equal Safety: Warning Signs You Won’t Want To Miss

Many of us purchase our vehicles based on their vehicle safety rating and how likely they are to keep us safe in the event of an accident. A crucial part of that puzzle is the type of brakes you have and their health. There are several different brake systems available today, and they all require some level of service at one time or another. You might be surprised that many people don’t know what to look for or listen for when diagnosing a potential problem with their brakes.

A lot of factors go into keeping your brakes functioning at their top level. Like a puzzle, the brake system is complicated and includes many interconnected parts that rely on each other to function correctly. The brake fluid, brake pads, discs, rotors, etc., all work together in perfect harmony to keep you and your family safe. Your vehicle’s brake system is complicated, and something as seemingly simple as topping off brake fluid can be much more tricky than you think. We want you to be safe on the road, so we compiled a list of some of the more common problems you might encounter with your brakes.

Here are some warning signs you will want to be on the lookout for before you head out:

• Brake Light On: This might seem obvious to most people, but we know well that clients often overlook problems as “a simple light that will go away on its own.” However, we strongly recommend that you take this seriously. It could be the first sign of a dangerous issue in the future!
• Grinding, Scraping, or Squealing: You might encounter either one of these issues. Both are clear-cut signals that you need to service your brakes or replace them as soon as possible.
• Slow to Stop: You press on your brakes, but your vehicle doesn’t respond the way it used to. It takes longer to stop, or worse, you might have to pump your brakes to get the car to stop. Again, it would be best if you had your brakes examined as soon as possible.
• Shaking or Jerking: Your vehicles may shake as your brakes begin to fail, causing a noticeable shaking of the steering wheel. You may also feel a jerking sensation as one side of your vehicle’s brakes fail while the others remain functional.
• Leaking Fluid: Any time your vehicle is leaking fluid, you want to have it looked at immediately, especially in the case of leaking brake fluid. Leaking brake fluid can be challenging to identify by simply looking at it, so we strongly suggest that you bring your vehicle to have our auto mechanics look at it.

Now that the weather is cooling down, many of us are looking for weekend trip ideas and ways to get away with the family. The California Central Valley’s best day trips, like Yosemite, Sierra National Forest, and Kings Canyon National Park, involve steep uphill and downhill drives. You might even encounter wet or muddy driving conditions, the types of driving conditions that can be very taxing on your brake system. We want to be sure that we know what to look for if something begins to go wrong in these moments.

So, before you and the family take that road trip to Yosemite, you are going to want to make sure that your brakes are serviced and functioning properly. Contact us if you have any questions regarding issues with your brakes, and we can schedule an appointment. Our ASE-certified auto mechanics at Dick’s Automotive will make sure you and your family hit the road safely!