When Your Brakes Take a Break

Jul 7, 2017

When you live on top of a hill like I do, let me tell you, you have a very close relationship with the brakes on your car. You care deeply about them. You treat them like your child. Well, at least I do now. A few months ago, I experienced one of the scariest moments of my life. I was driving down the hill to get to work and my brakes decided that it would be a fun idea to give out while I went down the hill. I was SO FORTUNATE that no one was one the road as this nightmare was happening. No matter how hard I pressed the brakes my car would not stop. I continued careening down the hill until I remembered that my grandfather told me that the emergency brake is a separate system from the hydraulic brakes on my car. So I very carefully applied the emergency brake. It took a wee bit longer to stop, but eventually, I was able to stop.

This whole experience really shook me up. Had I not known what to do, I could have been seriously hurt. I was very lucky, but not everyone is. This is why it’s so important to know what to do in case of an emergency like this. Below are the steps to follow if you find yourself in a situation where your brakes have given out.

Don’t Panic

Working yourself into a panic will not help you to safely stop so try your best to remain calm so that you can safely get yourself off the road.

Give the Brakes Another Shot

Your vehicle SHOULD have a dual braking system, which means that your front and rear brakes are controlled independently (Unless you’re behind the wheel of a classic car). For this reason, both halves of the system would have to fail for your car to totally lose all braking power. That said, half of the braking power still feels very unsafe and a bit terrifying when it happens. Try applying strong, consistent pressure to the brake pedal to see if you can slow the car down.

Take Steps to Reduce Your Speed

If the strong constant brake pressure doesn’t stop you or at the very least slow you down, another option is to very carefully employ the emergency brake. Another way to slow your car down is by keeping your foot off the accelerator and downshifting so that the engine can help slow the car down. If you have a manual transmission, work your way down through the gears to slow the car down. If you have an automatic transmission, taking your foot off the accelerator should cause your car to shift to lower gears as it slows down. DO NOT turn your car off before you are fully stopped.

Signal for Help

Once your vehicle has successfully stopped you will very likely need some assistance. If you have a vehicle like the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas with optional Roadside Assistance kit, you can use the available reflective triangles or road flares to make yourself more visible. Do your best to stay out of oncoming traffic, and avoid standing next to (or behind) your car if you can. You can also use your cell phone to call for roadside assistance.

Be Safe

Even it seems like the brakes are operating normally again, you may want to have them inspected by one of our professionals at Fiore Volkswagen before you try to drive it again. Have your vehicle towed to our service center so we can inspect your car and provide the necessary repairs. Keep in mind that you can also prevent problems before they start by having your car’s brake pads inspected regularly.

Knowing what to do if your brakes go out could help prevent injuries and damage to your vehicle.