If you were to ask most people about what kind of nightmare car problem scenario they fear the most, they’d very likely talk about some problem with the brakes. It could be anything from the brakes suddenly not being as effective as they should be, to the brakes going out altogether. One real scenario that people face is their brake pedal becoming very spongy and loose, and then pressing the brake all the way to the ground in order to get the reaction they need.
In today’s blog, we’re looking more closely at this type of brake pedal problem, what causes it and what it means for your vehicle and your driving.
If Your Brake Pedal Suddenly Sinks to the Floor – Why?
Loss of Brake Fluid
The first thing that should come to mind when you experience this problem of the brake pedal sinking all the way to the floor is that your hydraulic brake system is now lacking brake fluid. Most likely, there is a leak in your brake fluid somewhere, since the fluid should not be disappearing to that degree. Check underneath your car when you’re parked to see if you can any pooled liquid under there. Brake fluid has a yellowish tint to it.
Faulty Master Cylinder
Another possible cause of your pedal problem is found in a faulty master cylinder. The master cylinder, as its name suggests, plays a central and critical role in the overall function of your hydraulic brake system. In fact, it’s the main pump sending brake fluid through your brake lines under pressure, which in turn powers your brake callipers to push the brake pads firmly against the rotors to slow your vehicle down.
The most common fault in the master cylinder is the wearing out of the seals, which can occur due to age, or due to the presence of contaminated brake fluid. Either situation can lead to the pedal sinking to the floor. You might also notice this in conjunction with your vehicle generally not being able to hold itself in place without constantly pumping on the brake.
ABS Unit Leak
The vast majority of cars on the road have ABS these days, as it’s not a new innovation. Your car’s ABS system uses a range of sensors and control modules to detect the amount of brake fluid that’s currently in the master cylinder reservoir. The ABS system itself works on hydraulic brake fluid, so drops in the reservoir levels that are not detected will also contribute to the sinking pedal problem. Even worse, you might not get any warning about it.
Your Own Driving Style
Finally, brakes can get into the condition they are now because of the vehicle owner’s own driving style. If you are a typically aggressive driver who likes to push the gas pedal hard and then brake equally hard, then you’re putting your brakes — not to mention your engine and transmission — through a cycle that will wear the key components faster. When you work the brakes too aggressively, your brake fluid heats up and thins, which means increasing pressure is needed to make the brakes work more.
Reducing your level of aggression when driving will invariably fix this problem. Be gentler with the brakes and try to break the cycle of fast acceleration and hard braking. Not riding the brakes when you’re heading downhill will also help you preserve your brake components and extend their life.
Different Braking Systems
We should all of us make more of an effort to get to know how our brakes work, and even what kind they are. If you were put on the spot right now with no chance to check, could you say for sure whether you have disc or drum brakes? If you know you have both, do you know which are up front and which are in the rear? Could you even explain the difference between disc and drum brakes?
Drum and Disc Brakes – The Difference
These two brake types use the same basic principle of braking, which is to apply friction to the wheels to slow them down. They just do it in different ways. Drum brakes are arguably simpler, made up of a drum, a series of wheel cylinders and brake shoes. When you apply the pedal, the shoes are forced against the inner surface of the brake drum by the cylinders, creating friction and slowing the car.
Brake discs are the more modern option and are made up of a more complex assembly that includes the brake rotor, calipers, brake pads, bearings and more which together make the brake mounting. Using brake fluid hydraulics, pressure travels from the pedal to the brake pad with greater force. The pad is housed in the calliper, which closes on the rotor with significant force to bring intense friction to slow the vehicle down.
What to Do If Your Brake Pedal Suddenly Sinks to the Floor
If your pedal is sinking to the floor and you’re getting little reaction from the brakes, then the first thing you should do out on the road is to put the car in a lower gear, and then pump the brakes. Some think the best thing is to put the car in neutral, or even to switch it off. In fact, no. Stay calm, first and foremost, and then downshift before pumping on the brakes.
Once you’ve restored balance and feel steadier, you should proceed to get help from your mechanic. Your car is not safe to drive when the brakes are not working as they should, even by a small margin. Therefore, even if your pedal sinks to the floor but you get basically the same amount of braking as you’d expect, you still need to seek a mechanic to take a look at the brakes. The inescapable fact is that the brake pedal should not sink all the way to the floor.
It’s extremely likely that your brakes have been neglected and are in need of some serious servicing and repair. Therefore, make it your first priority to have them seen to.
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