Good brakes are essential for safe driving as they give you complete control over your vehicle’s speed. Components will inevitably wear out or become damaged over time, and you’ll need to visit your friendly Ford dealer for a brake repair. These are a few signs you have a problem with your brakes that needs attention.
Screeching Noises
Loud screeching noises from your brakes are signs of trouble, as they mean that your brake pads have worn down. The brake pads are housed in the brake calipers positioned above each of your wheel rotors. When you step on the brake pedal, pressurized brake fluid forces the pins out of the calipers, and this causes them to close on the rotors. The pads generate friction against the wheel rotors, and this friction brings your wheels to a stop.
Each pad has a friction material covering that gradually wears down. The pad manufacturers install a metal spike in the material, which becomes visible when the pad needs to be changed. This spike will scratch against the rotor surface as a warning that the pad needs replacement. We can easily solve this issue by replacing any worn pads.
Jammed Caliper
When you apply the brakes, all your wheels should come to a stop simultaneously. If you find that your car turns toward one side when you brake, you could have a jammed caliper. If one of the calipers fails to engage, its wheel rotor will continue to move until the other three wheels bring your car to a stop.
Calipers are exposed to water and mud, and this moisture can build up on them and cause rust. Rust buildup is a gradual process, but a caliper can eventually become too rusted to move. Our technicians can fix this problem by removing and replacing the rusted caliper, and your brakes will work correctly again.
Leaking Brake Fluid
Brake fluid provides the hydraulic power that allows your braking system to work. Your Ford’s braking system is pressurized when you step on the brake pedal, and this pressure is the source of the resistance you feel from the pedal. In time, the heat and pressure in the braking system, combined with normal wear and tear, can cause a leak in the system.
A brake fluid leak is generally difficult to spot, but you’ll feel it almost immediately as the resistance from the pedal will lessen. As fluid leaks out, the pressure in the system will drop, and your brakes will become slower to respond. We’ll trace the leak in the system and repair it, then we’ll refill the brake fluid.
If your brakes aren’t working as well as they should be, contact our service department ASAP at Pohanka Ford of Salisbury in Salisbury, MD.
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