How to Handle Brake Failure

By eHow Cars Editor

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Thanks to a number of mechanical checks and balances, brake failure rarely occurs. But even though most drivers will never have to experience it, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Car Manuals
Roadside Emergency Cards
Cellular Telephones

Step1

Size up the traffic situation and base your decisions on the whereabouts of other vehicles, intersections or steep hills.

Step2

Look for a safe place to steer your car and quickly downshift to low gear (this applies to both manual and automatic transmissions).

Step3

Build up your brake pressure by pumping the brake pedal fast and firmly. It should take three or four pumps to get the brakes to work. Don't pump anti-lock brakes -- press down hard on them instead and plan on taking longer to stop. It is normal to feel pulsation at the brake pedal if you have anti-lock brakes.

Step4

Use your parking brake if the pumping solution is ineffective or not recommended. Release it quickly if the car starts to skid.

Step5

Don't forget to steer. Swerve only if it's absolutely necessary -- doing so can cause you to lose control of the car.

Step6

Throw your car into reverse if all else fails. Note that this can cause serious damage to your transmission.

Tips & Warnings

Sounding your horn and flashing your headlights will warn other motorists.
Turn on your emergency flashers once you've come to a complete stop.
Try to remain calm - panicking can cause you to make mistakes.
Use a cell phone to call for roadside assistance if your brakes continue to fail. Wait in your car or another safe place until help arrives.
Get your brakes and brake hoses checked every 6 months.
A not uncommon cause of inability to brake is a soda bottle or ball rolling under the pedal: clean out under your seat!
If you have anti-lock brakes, do not pump them. Autos sold in the United States must contain fail-safe brake systems. If you have problems with your anti-lock brakes, simply press down hard and plan on waiting longer to stop.
Do not drive for any long period of time with the brake light on. Add brake fluid and go see your mechanic.

Comments

jimdris said

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on 12/15/2006 If you have air in your system due to a leak or failing master cylinder, a quick couple of pumps on your brake pedal will restore enough hydraulic pressure to stop you safely.

Anonymous said

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on 9/14/2006 My brakes failed while I was going through a set of lights descending a hill. I drive a manual front wheel drive car, so I changed gears to second/first and then lifted the clutch to engage the engine and use it as a brake (by utilizing the friction in the engine to slow you down). This way you have a lot more control over how hard your braking is on the front wheels (all four wheels in a 4x4), and the handbrake can be used to break the rear wheels at the same time.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Below is taking in account total loss of normal brakes.
The second you feel your brake pedal hit the floor, change down to second gear, use the engine's compression (releasing the clutch) to slow the car down by slowly releasing the clutch, like gearing down for a stop street or robot, just a bit longer on the clutch causing a longer period of resistance. You'll feel the car's nose go down and you'll feel a slowing down sensation. While doing this, you need to use your handbrake (emergency brake) in a pulsating manner, by applying a bit of brake and then releasing in fairly quick succession. If you run out of road near the end when your going slow (0 - 40km/h), pull the handbrake up hard. Locking the wheels will not cause you to loose control at low speed, it will help slow you down enough at the end to not collide with the obstacle in front. The compression force is caused by your front wheels on a front wheel drive car, therefore less danger of locking up while doing this as rear wheels lock easier than front wheels. The reason being is that in a lockup your front wheels are being pushed(harder to do) and the back wheels are being pulled or dragged(easier to do).

Please note the above is for a front-wheel drive car mainly, this is important as the procedure above is far more dangerous with a rear wheel drive car. Gearing down will put reverse force(compression) on the back wheels(wheels doing the work) which could cause them to lock prematurely while still going too fast in your escape (rear wheels lock up easier than the front wheels). You need to be extra careful and sensitive with the clutch on a rear wheel drive car. Plus, the reverse force on the back wheels and the handbrake use (back wheels as well) will have enough stopping force on the back wheels to lock them up easily, so be careful.

Anonymous said

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on 12/22/2005 My brakes failed as I was getting off the interstate due to overheated fluid. I panicked and pulled the emergency brake up. It did not slow my car, however, it did melt the rear brakes and caused extensive damage. Brake fluid should be changed once a year as old fluid contains more water and overheats easily, causing a soft pedal in a mechanically sound brake system.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If your driving on a hilly area and there are steep drops around you, the emergency/hand brake could be a bad idea because it effectively locks up your rear wheels allowing your rear-end to slide left or right due to the loss of friction. You can see how pulling the handbrake while at a medium to high speed could cause you to spin out of control and possibly run over the cliff.

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