Does Your Toyota Need a Brake Repair?

Soft Brake Pedal

When you step on the brake pedal, you expect to feel resistance. As your press harder on the pedal, the resistance increases. The resistance is caused by the pressurized brake fluid. Your braking system is pressurized as this provides the force to slow and stop a vehicle weighing approximately 4,000lbs that is moving at speed.

If you feel a slight resistance from the pedal, this is known as a soft pedal, and it’s a sign of a problem. A lack of pressure means that you could have a brake fluid leak, or there might be an air bubble in the braking system. Both of these situations reduce the system pressure. Our technicians will find the cause of the problem and fix it for you.

Hard Brake Pedal

This is the opposite situation of a soft pedal. In this case, when you step on the pedal, it will barely move, regardless of how much pressure you exert. This problem is due to damage to the brake pedal booster. As we’ve seen, your brakes are pressurized to stop the weight of your car.

The brake pedal booster uses a vacuum system to generate 10x normal human strength. If your booster has been damaged, the vacuum system is compromised. Without the vacuum, the booster won’t work, and your brake pedal will barely move. We can examine the booster and replace it to fix this problem.

Your Car Takes Longer To Stop

When you hit the brakes, you expect your braking system to respond almost immediately and stop your car. If your car is taking longer to stop than it should, this is a sign of a braking problem. Delayed braking is dangerous, as any delay can mean the difference between preventing an accident and becoming part of an accident.

One of the possible causes of this delay is worn brake pads. Brake pads have a friction material covering that’s 1/2″ thick. This material generates friction against the rotors that bring your car to a stop. The material gradually wears off, and your braking response becomes slightly longer. Other possible causes include damaged calipers, a brake fluid leak, or a damaged master cylinder. Our technicians will investigate and repair the problem.

Worn or damaged brakes can place you in danger. If your brakes aren’t working as well as they should, call us immediately at Coughlin Toyota.

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