How to Tell When Your Car Needs a Brake Repair

With over 300,000 road accidents occurring each year because of brake failure, it’s wise to carefully maintain your brakes. Even a Chrysler vehicle’s extremely durable and reliable braking mechanism can occasionally run into trouble. Let’s take a look at seven clear indicators that you should visit your local Chrysler dealer for prompt brake repair.

You Hear High-Pitched Squeaking

The part of a braking system that needs replacing most often is the brake pads. These pads do the lion’s share of the work in stopping your car each time you press on the brake pedal. Over time, the friction layer of a brake pad wears away. When it’s almost gone, the pad is designed to emit a high-pitched squeaking or squealing sound, which means it’s time for a new one.

You Hear Grinding Sounds

Should the friction layer of one of your brake pads wear away completely, you’ll start hearing unpleasant grinding sounds whenever you brake. This means that metal is scraping directly on metal, and your rotors are likely being damaged. So if you hear grinding, get your brake pads replaced right away to avoid a costly rotor repair job.

You Feel Strange Vibrations

If you sense any odd vibrations when braking, either through the brake pedal or steering wheel, don’t ignore them. This usually means your rotor has become somehow damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced.

Your Car Pulls to One Side

While braking, if you find your vehicle pulling to the left or right, then the braking mechanism on one side isn’t doing its job properly. This might be due to any number of brake faults and should be fixed by a professional right away.

You Find Leaking Brake Fluid

These days, the various fluids in your car are dyed in certain colors to make them easily identifiable. Brake fluid is almost always a light yellow in hue when fresh, dulling to brown as it ages. So if you ever notice a pool of yellow or brown liquid under your car, you probably have a brake fluid leak.

You should never drive when you have a brake fluid leak, as the hydraulics of your braking mechanism is compromised. Instead, you’ll need to call a tow truck.

Your Brake Light Comes On

Whether you’re driving the ever-popular Chrysler Town and Country, the much-loved Dodge Coronet, or any other of our models, you’ll have a clear brake warning light on your dashboard to reliably alert you to any brake problems. If you ever see this light blinking on, check to see if your parking brake is engaged. If that’s not the issue, then you probably have low brake fluid or some other problem, and it’s best to visit your local technician.

How a Chrysler Dealer Inspects Your Brakes

While servicing your brakes, a technician will examine your brake fluid levels and all the connected hoses and lines, both under your hood and under your car. They’ll raise the vehicle to remove the wheels, calipers, rotors, and brake pads, inspecting each part for signs of trouble.

Have your brakes inspected and repaired today at Pearl Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Ram. We’re a trusted local dealership, heavily involved in the local community, and dedicated to providing the region’s drivers with nothing short of exceptional customer service.

Tags: Brake Service, How To Know, Pearl CJDR, Peotone IL
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