Important thing to do if your brakes fail
“I stepped on the brakes near a curve,” Eddie H. said. “And nothing happened.”
Eddie H. is my buddy, and his story prompted me to look into brake failure, how often it happens, and what to do it if happens to you.
He was driving down a rural road near his suburban home, behind the wheel of his 2009 Honda Civic. It was just after six in the morning and he was on his way to work. It was just like any other day — until it wasn’t.
His car was gathering speed and headed towards a sharp curve. Seeing traffic approaching, Ed applied the emergency brake and the car went into a spin, leaving the road and stalling in a field. He was lucky, shaken, but fine.
“In retrospect,” he says. “I panicked. I didn’t think to downshift.”
Thankfully, complete brake failure is a rare occurrence for most of us, but it does happen every day, to someone. A Google search of “brake failure crash” and “news” reveals it’s a daily occurrence across America.
Experts say the best prevention for brake failure is routine maintenance and inspection, and that drivers should pay attention to their brakes with both their feet and ears. For example, if you hear grinding or squealing, take your car off the road and have it looked at by a certified mechanic. If the brake pedal feels different than it did the day before, have it checked by a professional.
The National Safety Council recommends the following steps if your brakes suddenly fail:
1. Downshift immediately
Putting the car in a lower gear allows the engine to slow the car, and may give you enough time to be able to safely pull over. Whether you’re driving an automatic or a manual, try to downshift smoothly through the gears. If you downshift too quickly, you risk a skid. Do not shut off the car to stop it, as you’ll lose your power steering, and do not put the car in neutral or you will lose the engine’s braking effect.
2. Try the emergency brake, but don’t depend on it to stop you
If driving a car with a good, strong emergency brake, go ahead and use it. Test your emergency brake at a slow speed to experience how much stopping power it really has. Some work well, and some, as the late comedian Mitch Hedburg said, are “an emergency ‘make the car smell funny’ lever.”
3. Move your vehicle into the right lane as soon as possible
Move toward the right shoulder of the road, or, if possible, toward an exit.
4. Stay off the gas pedal
This should go without saying, but do not touch the gas pedal. Your goal is to slow down, pull over and safely stop.
5. Check for brake pedal blockage
Believe it or not, debris such as soda cans or bottles, coffee cups, rolls of paper towels or – infamously – the floor mat can wedge behind your brake pedal, preventing its use. Make sure the pedal’s path is clear.
6. Pump your brakes only if you have an older car without anti-lock brakes (ABS)
If your car has standard brakes they may respond to pumping, which could build up enough hydraulic pressure to allow them to work again. But many newer cars with ABS will do the pumping for you, so you should firmly press the brake pedal even if the brakes are not working. The brake failure may be temporary and if they suddenly start working again, your foot will be where it needs to be.
7. Alert others
Turn on your hazards and honk your horn until stopped so other motorists will know to give you plenty of room.
9. Don’t freak out
Knowing the steps outlined in this article and being able to perform them should give you the confidence to respond naturally instead of panicking, in the unlikely event that your brakes do fail.
10. Once you’re safely stopped, summon help
Don’t be tempted to drive the car again, even if the brakes suddenly start working. Have the car towed to a repair shop or dealer for inspection and repair.
