Your emergency brake, also commonly called the parking brake, is a seriously important part of your vehicle. While it can definitely be used in a hazardous situation if you don’t have time to brake fast enough with your pedal, it also gives you a reliable way to hold your car steady on inclines, when parked, or during service.
Unfortunately, just like any other part of your car, the emergency brake sometimes stops working. When this happens, it’s never something you want to put off repairing. Not only can it put you and your passengers in danger, but it can make parking and safeguarding your vehicle harder, which may result in even more costs down the road. It is always best to get a brake inspection to figure out the cause of failure.
Emergency brakes stop working due to these four reasons:
- The brake cable is out of alignment — Sometimes going over bumps and hills can knock the brake cable out of line, causing kinks and twists that render it ineffective. The cable may simply need to be realigned and put back in place.
- The brake cable is cut, broken, or damaged — If this is the case, the cable will need to be fully replaced before the brake begins working again.
- There are problems with the brake shoes or drum — Build-up on the brake shoes and drum can often cause problems with the parking brake, make it hold the vehicle less steady, or in some cases, not hold it at all.
- The lever is broken — Finally, there could be a problem with the lever, the handle you pull to activate the emergency brake. This will need to be replaced or repaired in order to get the parking brake working again.
In general, getting your emergency brake fixed is a fairly minor and affordable undertaking. If your emergency brake is no longer working — or is working less effectively than before — come to a Brake Works location today. We offer free brake inspections.
