The following are some of the reasons why brake service may be needed. If ever in doubt, please take the vehicle to a professional mechanic to have the brakes looked at. Failure to maintain brakes properly can lead to death or injury.
Vehicles have sensors in the brake system which when activated will trigger a warning light. When light appears it should be looked into to determine cause as it may mean you are about to lose your brakes.
No matter how much pressure you put on the brake pedal with your foot, the vehicle does not stop or even slow down.
Emergency brake (also known as Hand Brake / Parking Brake) does not stop the vehicle from moving when the brake is applied and the vehicle is parked with engine off, transmission in neutral.
If the drum or rotor is warped, then the brakes will act like they are coming on and off. This will cause the vehicle to shake under heavy braking and for brake pedal to vibrate under lighter braking.
Sometimes a brake gets partly jammed on due to brake component failure. When this happens, the brake continually is creating friction and thus heat as the vehicle moves. Heat will lead to failure of other parts such as wheel bearings, rotors and drums.
When you keep having to top up the brake fluid reservoir that means the brake fluid is escaping. Since the brakes do not work without fluid it is important to fix the leak.
Grinding noise may not be the brakes but it is worth getting it checked. Brake pad/shoes may have broken or something else may have got into the brakes causing rubbing against wheels.
Screeching noise would suggest metal against metal. When disc pads get worn down eventually a metal wear indicator will rub against the rotor causing the sound. For drum brakes, the rivets of the brake pads can cause the same sound when the pads are worn enough.
This is the same as when brakes are applied however a engine, transmission, steering or suspension component may be causing the noise. Screeching noise would suggest metal against metal. When disc pads get worn down eventually a metal wear indicator will rub against the rotor causing the sound. For drum brakes, the rivets of the brake pads can cause the same sound when the pads are worn enough.
When brakes fail on only one wheel,it will affect the braking balance. Under heavy or sudden braking you may find the vehicle pull to one side instead of stop in a straight line.
Brake pedals should not feel soft or go all the way to the floor. You should be able to feel the amount of brake pressure you are applying. Soft brake pedal or pedal going all the way to the floor would suggest something is not right. It might be air in the braking system or a large leak.
Vehicles that have been sitting for a while may have their brake components rust in position. When this happens, your are unable to activate the brakes fully. Braking will be reduced and the brake pedal will feel very hard to push in relation to the amount of braking force being applied to the vehicle.
Always better to be safe rather than sorry. If you feel or think there is something wrong with the brakes, have a professional mechanic check it out to put your mind at ease.