What To Do If Your Brakes Fail

Imagine that you are driving down a street and see a curve ahead. You press your brakes to slow your vehicle down, but nothing happens. Your brakes have failed!  Here at LeSueur Car Company, we hope you never have to experience this situation, but let’s face it, life can throw us some curveballs and it’s better to be prepared than to not be. Continue reading to learn how to handle this situation incase it ever happens to you! 

Don’t panic

We know that sounds kind of stupid, but the truth is freaking out with only make the situation more dangerous. Stay focused, it could make the difference between life and death! 

Take your foot off the gas pedal and turn off cruise control

The crucial thing to do in this situation is to de-accelerate, so do not hit the accelerator! Cruise control should go off as soon as you touch the break but just to be sure, turn it off.

Pay attention to how your brake pedal feels

If it’s soft and goes to the floor, you may have low fluid, a faulty master cylinder or problems with your drums or calipers. You may be able to rebuild some braking pressure by pumping the brakes

If your brake pedal is hard and does not move, something in your brake system may have seized or you may have an obstruction under the pedal. Try to feel with your foot or look to see if you have something under the brake pedal.

Pump your brakes

Pumping your brakes several times may rebuild enough pressure in the braking system for you to stop. This may take a while, so keep trying.

Shift into low gear

Shifting into a lower gears helps slow you down by using your engine to slow the car. If you have an automatic transmission, downshift a gear at a time into low range. If you have a manual transmission, downshift a gear or two at a time.

Use the emergency brake

Using the emergency brake can usually bring your car to a stop but it will take longer than usual to come to a stop because it only stops the rear wheels.

Keep your eyes on the road and continue to steer

Pay attention to what’s in front of you, and maneuver to avoid heavy traffic, pedestrians, and dangerous obstacles

Warn other drivers and pedestrians

Turn your hazard lights on, and honk your horn to make others aware that there is a problem.

If you have room on either side of you, steer sharply from side-to-side

Turning creates friction, which slows your car naturally. If you do not have brakes, try turning sharply from left to right over and over to slow your car down

Use your surroundings to slow the vehicle

Do whatever you can to get under control. Use terrain to your advantage, use guardrails to slow your vehicle, use road friction to slow your vehicle. Small trees and shrubbery will also slow your vehicle when all else fails.

Look for a safe spot to pull over

The safest method is to look for bushy protrusions or shrubs and run it through the friction will significantly reduce car speed to a halt. 

We hope you never have to experience this situation, but if you do, we're glad you'll be prepared! Want to get your breaks checked? Schedule an appointment with our service team!