Brake Team – Brakes Portland The Northwest's Brake Repair Specialist

Experienced Brake Failure?

One of the things that everyone tries to avoid while traveling in a car is an accident. One common cause for car accidents is brake failure. With the population ever climbing there are more cars than ever on the road, which means there is a higher likelihood of someone's brakes giving out. Although it is called brake failure, it is uncommon for the brakes to entirely give out so much that you are unable to stop the car at all, but in many cases brake failure leads to car accidents.

There are primary reasons why car brakes stop working. Brake Team has noted the most common reason is that there is a leak in the brake line, master cylinder, or wheel cylinders. All of these things can cause the brake fluid to run out of the automobile. The brake fluid escapes the car when the driver presses down on the brake pedal. When the driver brakes they are actually pushing a plunger into the master cylinder, which in turn pushes brake fluid through tubes and hoses to brake all of the moving units in the car. When there is a leak or hole in the brake line, fluid escapes and with no brake fluid it is impossible to stop the car. It is very unlikely that all of the brake fluid will escape before you realize that something is going on. Regularly having your vehicle inspected at Brake Team prevents these leaks from becoming so bad that you could lose all the fluid. At Brake Team we can also change your oil for less than many other shops and we recommend having your brakes checked during each oil change.

There are many misconceptions about what you are supposed to do when your brakes fail. We at Brake Team would like to provide some tips to help you. The first and most important thing that a driver can do when the brakes fail is to remain calm, many people tense up when they are nervous and make drastic moves that can often lead to accidents. The second thing you should do is assess the traffic around you, take a quick look around and see where other vehicles, trees, hills, or pedestrians may be. After sizing up the situation look for a place where you can steer your car to safety. The next and one of the most important things you can do is build up the brake pressure within your car. You can do this by pumping the brake pedal fast and hard, in many cases it has been found that if pumping your brakes doesn’t work, the emergency brake or parking break can be used to safely stop the car.