
Whatever the case, if your brake pedal feels weird, it’s best to consult a mechanic and get your brake parts checked.įaulty brake calipers can eventually damage the master cylinder and the rest of the braking system. It’s also possible that you have a damaged brake line or there’s air in the brake fluid. This could be due to a seized caliper piston that creates excessive clearance between the brake pad and the brake rotor. There may also be little to no resistance in the brakes, and the pedal may keep sinking. The Brake Pedal Feels SoftĪ soft or spongy brake pedal is when you feel the brake pedal’s pressure change when applying the brakes. While brake noise may not be a direct symptom of failing brake calipers, it’s best to get your brake system checked if you ever encounter these. On top of that, if your brake pads are getting old, the backing plates (that are situated behind the brake pads) may start grinding against brake rotors, damaging them. While brake dust is a normal byproduct of the braking process, an excessive amount can create squealing noises or an uneven rotor surface that generates vibrations while braking. This can produce excess brake dust that may stick to the car’s tires, brake caliper, and brake rotor. Brake NoiseĪ damaged brake caliper can cause the brake pads to drag against the brake rotor (brake discs) - for instance, when there’s a stuck caliper piston. It could also be because you have failing brake calipers that are not exerting sufficient, uniform braking pressure on both sides. It could be because you have uneven wear on your brake pads (in disc brakes) caused by a stuck caliper piston. If you notice your vehicle steering to one side of the road when you press the brake pedal, it’s probably a problematic caliper. Vehicle Veers Off To One Side While Driving It can affect your brake system performance and eventually result in bad brake control. Leaking Brake CalipersĪ broken or faulty caliper piston seal can lead to a brake fluid leak inside the old caliper. Here are some of the most frequent signs: 1. (Please remember that these repair prices can also fluctuate based on geographic location, as well as vehicle make and model and that these numbers represent averages, not actual prices offered at any specific repair facilities.5 Signs That Point To A Bad Brake CaliperĪ faulty brake caliper can present itself in many ways. What If Nothing Extra Was Damaged? What Else Might I Need to Replace? The second variable is how much heat was built up if the caliper did lock up? An excessive amount of heat can damage not only the brake parts, but the rubber boots and seals on the drive axles, electrical parts like ABS sensors, and steering and suspension parts as well. These are typically replaced as a pair just like brake pads. However, if the caliper locked up, chances are it scored your brake rotor to the point that it will need replaced as well. The first variable is, what exactly is wrong with the caliper? Is it leaking or did it simply freeze up? Either way it will need replaced, and in all likelihood so will your brake pads. That depends there are a couple of variables at work here. How Will I Know if Brake Calipers Fail? What Gets Replaced With Brake Calipers? The cost of replacing them may not be a bad number to keep in the back of your mind. That constant temperature change causes quite a few caliper failures every year. The amount of heat that is built up when braking is intense. Being hydraulic, they have rubber parts which are very susceptible to temperature changes. They are the hydraulic pistons which clamp your brake pads to the rotor when you step on the brake pedal. Unfortunately, failing brake calipers are not an uncommon occurrence. You only need to fix them when they fail. Unlike brake pads and rotors, brake calipers are one of those non-maintenance items on your vehicle that don’t get replaced on a regular basis.
