Potential Causes of Your Brake Pedal Going to the Floor
By Dirk Gibson
You are cruising along one day just minding your own business. You come up to a light and notice you aren't slowing down very quickly. In fact, you nearly have to push the brake pedal to the ground to get the car to stop.
Braking is one of those important functions that nobody really thinks about until there is a problem. If you can't stop, you are going to be in big trouble! The good news is it is very rare for the brakes on a car to just completely fail outright. Instead, they usually start to evidence problems that get your attention. A brake pedal that has to be pushed to the ground is certainly one of those.
The first potential cause is also the easiest one to deal with. Pop the hood and check your brake fluid. Even though the braking system should be enclosed, it will leak a bit over time. If you are really lucky, you'll just need to buy some brake fluid and top off the system. The perfect fix - cheap and quick.
If the brake fluid seems up to the appropriate levels, you may have a secondary problem. The problem may be the brake fluid is bad. Air and water can get into the system and contaminate the brake fluid. It sounds like a small thing, but the system is based on pressure so anything that affects the fluid can cause problems. This is particularly true if air is getting into the system. If you think this is the problem, bleed the system dry and replace the brake fluid.
The final common problem you might be suffering has to do with your break pads. If they are worn down, the break pedal could go to the floor. That being said, the pads would have to be worn down to the nub. They would have been squeaking, vibrating and grinding for a long time before this happened. You would really have to be the most unobservant driver to have this happen, but it is a possibility. The cure to the problem is to replace the pads.
If these three issues are not the problem, you may have a one off problem with the system that requires professional help. Take the car down to a brake shop and let them take a look at it. Whatever you do, don't just procrastinate. A brake pedal going to the floor is a very bad sign and an indicator that a major failure of the system may be about to happen. If that occurs, you are going to end up in an accident.
Dirk Gibson is with DCJ Auto Parts - your online source for brake controllers for trailers or whatever your pulling.
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