Coughlin Nissan of Heath

Jul 1, 2022

To keep both you and your car safe, good brakes are essential. They allow you to control your speed at any time. Parts can suffer metal fatigue or wear out, and you’ll need a brake repair. As your Nissan dealer in Heath, OH, we can fix any braking problem for you. These are some of the signs that you have a brake problem.

Signs You Need a Brake Repair at Your Nissan Dealer

Pulling to One Side

It’s a scary feeling when you hit the brakes and your car pulls towards one side. It feels like you’re losing control over your car. There are two possible reasons for this, a jammed caliper and a blockage in the brake hoses. When you use the brakes, brake fluid is forced down the brake hoses. The fluid exerts hydraulic pressure on the calipers which close on the rotors and stop your car.

A damaged caliper can stick in the open position, which means it won’t activate the brake on the affected wheel. A blockage in the brake hose will prevent fluid from exerting pressure on the caliper. In both of these situations, your car will automatically pull towards the side that has a working brake. Our technicians can fix either of these problems, and your braking system will return to normal.

Soft Brakes

When you step on the brakes, you should feel resistance from the pedal. The more force you exert, the more resistance you should feel. If your foot almost touches the floor when you use the brakes, this is a sign of a brake problem. Your brake master cylinder controls the brake system, and it releases brake fluid into the system to exert the hydraulic pressure necessary for the brakes to work.

A soft brake pedal is usually caused by a lack of brake fluid. Brake fluid isn’t consumed by the system, so a lack of brake fluid means there must be a leak. Brake fluid is slightly yellowish and looks similar to cooking oil. This can make a leak difficult to spot. Our technicians will examine your braking system and find and repair the leak.

Hard Brakes

This is the opposite of soft brakes. In this situation, your brake pedal requires far greater than normal pressure to move at all. It feels like you’re doing leg presses to operate the brakes. This can also be caused by a lack of brake fluid, but the more common reason is a failure of the brake booster.

Your brake booster provides you with 10x your normal pressure when you step on the pedal. The brake booster uses a vacuum to produce its power, and if it’s damaged, this vacuum will be compromised. Without the booster, it’s almost impossible to generate the pressure needed for your brakes to operate. Our technicians will check the booster and replace it if it’s damaged.

If your brakes aren’t working correctly, call our service department immediately at Coughlin Nissan of Heath. Our experts will fix the problem for you in no time.