Your car’s braking system is one of the most important safety features as its primary function is to slow or stop your vehicle in an emergency. Early detection of brake problems can be a savior in avoiding the onslaught of severe issues later. Ignoring brake maintenance can raise the biting distance of your vehicle, resulting in brake failure or a crash altogether.

Take charge of keeping yourself safe on the road by learning about common brake problems and quickly identifying them.

Here’s how to detect brake problems early and what to do when you observe any of these issues with your vehicle’s braking system.

1. Squeaking or Squealing Noises

 If the brakes squeak or squeal when you apply them, this is a sure sign of a problem.

A. Worn Brake Pads

 The Noise source is the Brake pads, and it works by having a small metal shim within each of the pads, although it is very thin, it makes a high pitched squeal the moment the brake pads are worn-out down to that level.

 Next action: if you can hear squeaking or squealing, open the bonnet and check the condition of your brake pads. Find and replace the worn pads before the damage spreads to the rotors, which would be an even more expensive repair.

B. Glazed Brake Pads

 Cause: Your brake pads are glazed, meaning that they have been overheated and hardened from aggressive driving or heavy braking. They are squealing even if they are not totally worn.

 Solution: If this noise barks regularly at you, have a mechanic take a look at your brakes: glazed pads will need to be replaced or sanded.

 With a tip: Those benign squealing noises mean you should never ignore a squeak. Get to it before the repairs get expensive.

2. Grinding or Growling Sounds

 A grinding or growling noise when braking is more urgent, and usually means the brake pads have completely worn away. 

A. Metal-on-Metal Contact

 Noise Signal: The metal back of a battered brake pad on a car comes into contact with the car’s brake rotor. Knowing that you’re buying the car as-is, you negotiate an amazing price. Plan for the future repairs, and enjoy driving! Worn-down brake pads create a grinding noise that can lead to serious rotor damage. This requires a relatively expensive repair down the line.

 What to do: If your brakes are grinding, pull over and have them checked. (Don’t wait – new brake pads and possibly new rotors, if the latter are warped, may well be necessary.

B. Rotor Damage

 Result: With blunt rotors, your car will vibrate more, brake less evenly, and it will take longer to stop. It will become more dangerous to drive.

 Action: Remove damaged rotors and replace with new rotors in order to maintain proper braking function of the vehicle and prevent further damage to the braking system.

 Pro-tip: Have your brakes checked on a regular basis. If and when you notice the brake pads wearing away, replace them before they completely wear out and damage the rotors, which can get pretty expensive. 

3. Vibrations When Braking

 If you feel a vibration or pulsing in the brake pedal when you put pressure on the brakes, the rotors may be the culprit.

A. Warped Rotors

 Cause: your rotors may have been warped from overheating, uneven spacing or heavy braking once the brakes come in contact with a bumpy or ragged surface, the surface of your rotors may begin to vibrate. 

 Where You Can Go From Here: Have your rotors checked by a mechanic. If the warping isn’t too bad, they can usually be grinding back to are too far gone, it will require a whole new set of rotors. 

B. Uneven Rotor Wear

 Cause: This is frequently a symptom of uneven braking due to brake pads wearing unevenly for a variety of reasons. Uneven brake pad wear will occur if one of your calipers is sticking or was installed wrongly.

 About.com: Car and Driving’s Action: Your brake service specialist should determine the cause of the uneven wear and correct it before replacing your rotors.

 Tip: If you feel any vibration through your steering wheel when you depress the brake pedal, have the brakes checked immediately to prevent further damage.

4. Soft or Spongy Brake Pedal

 A spongy or soft brake pedal, and one that hits the floor without the brakes engaging, are signs of a serious issue.

A. Air in the Brake Lines

 Cause: Air in the brake lines comes either from a leak or from an improper change of brake fluid. When air it is present in the line, this prevents brake fluid from doing an efficient job of transferring force (hydraulically) on the brake components of the system, causing a fuzzy pedal feeling. 

 Action: Get your brakes bled by a technician to remove any air present in the brake lines and restore operational braking.

B. Brake Fluid Leak

 Cause: Leaking brake-lines, calipers, or master cylinder (due to a worn seal, for example). Fluid level is too low to make the hydraulic system work, which in turn reduces hydraulic pressure when you step on the brake pedal.

 Action: Check your brake fluid reservoir regularly. Do this every other tank of fuel or so, and whenever the brake pads or shoes are checked or changed. If the brake fluid level is low, add more fluid and have your brake system inspected for leaks. 

 While it’s true that a soft brake pedal might suggest little more than a simple issue with your brake fluid, it could also indicate a much larger problem in a failing brake system. Does your car use manual or automatic transmission? In either case, if your brake pedal feels soft, it can be a bad sign. Get it looked at by an expert right away before a serious accident occurs.

5. Car Pulls to One Side When Braking

 If your car pulls to the left when you brake, the problem might be with the brakes or the wheels.

A. Uneven Brake Pad Wear

 Effect: If the brake pads wear more on one side of your car than the other, when you go to stop the car will pull to one side. This can be due to a sticking caliper, misaligned brake pads, or an issue with the hard brake hardware.

 Do it: Have your brake pads and calipers checked. Replace the worn pads and fix whatever is causing uneven wear. 

B. Misaligned Wheels

 Cause: Poorly aligned wheels can cause your car to be pulled to the side in the direction of the misalignment during braking. Good wheel alignment is important for good braking and steering control.

 Act: Check your alignment and make adjustments if necessary so your car drives straight and stops evenly.

 A helpful hint is to get your brakes checked if your car pulls to the right or the left while braking. This could affect your ability to control the vehicle and lead to uneven tyre wear.

6. Brake Warning Light

 Modern vehicles are equipped with dashboard warning lights that alert the driver when there is a problem with the brake system.

A. Brake System Alert

 Cause: The brake warning light can go on for several reasons including a low brake fluid level, worn brake pads or trouble with the antilock braking system (ABS). 

 What to do things asking the reader to imagine action: Don’t ignore the brake warning light. Look at your level of brake fluid and, if it is low, refill it. If the light is still on, or if you think that it points to some other defect, let the car inspected by a serviceman. 

B. ABS Warning Light

 Cause: The anti-lock braking system (ABS) light indicates a failure in the ABS, which prevents wheels from locking up and keeps some traction available for braking while the wheels are sliding. You may have less control when braking quickly, like going through intersections or on slippery roads, if the ABS isn’t working properly.

 Action This is another item that you should have diagnosed, and most likely repaired, in order to be certain that it will be active as designed in an emergency. 

 Tip: save on car maintenance by never ignoring an illuminated brake warning light. If the brake light is on and flashing, you’re driving with a critical safety issue(s) on your car that need to be addressed immediately. 

Conclusion: Stay Proactive About Brake Maintenance

 Your automobile’s brakes are fundamental to your safe driving. Attentiveness to warning symptoms can help you identify and repair issues before they become serious ones that can cause accidents and costly repairs. By listening to what your brakes are telling you (or what they should be telling you) through noises, vibrations, and changes in how they’re operating, you can voluntarily bring any issues that you should be addressing to a skilled technician’s attention. And for the future, routine brake inspections and maintenance help to keep your automatic vehicle braking the right way, enabling your car to slow down or stop as needed, when needed, wherever you are. If you identify any brake problems as outlined above, don’t delay; get your car checked out by a reputable automotive technician.