If my brakes on my car fails what is the best course of action?

Question

If my brakes on my car fails what is the best course of action , or should I just cover my eyes and hope for the best.

Answer 1

don't panic

Answer 2

First of all, let off the accelerator, try pumping the brake pedal rapidly to attempt to build up enough pressure to help slow the vehicle while doing that downshift the transmission if automatic shift all the way down ti 1st gear (the transmission won't downshift to first gear all at once) this will start the transmission downshifting through the gears and slowly apply the parking brake (unless your one of the driver's that has a parking brake that doesn't work) if your still moving pretty fast find a spot along the road that doesn't have any obstacles in your way and head offroad in that direction. You will need to brace yourself for this as when you leave the pavement especially at high speeds going cross country its going to throw you around quite a bit. do not under any circumstances press on the gas pedal. once the car has slowed down you can say 15-20mph turn off the ignition and fully apply the parking brake. Also you can look for a hill to go up safely and use the hill to slow you down also.

If you have a manual transmission, start downshifting gears as quickly as possible, and follow the same instructions above for the automatic transmission.

Answer 3

What to do if your brakes fail



Shift into a lower gear, release the clutch pedal (for manual transmissions) and apply the emergency brake.

If your automobile has an automatic transmission, apply the emergency brake and move the gear lever into the low range position.

Be Advised: This action can potentially cause damage to the emergency brake and to the transmission, but under the circumstances of brake failure, there is no better choice.
If your brakes become wet, you can dry them by:


Drive the vehicle a short distance

Apply light pressure to the brake pedal.

The heat generated by the friction of the brakes against the brake drum will evaporate the water from the brake linings.

To prevent excessive wear on brakes when moving down a long hill or steep grade, use a lower gear instead of the brake pedal to control speed. Shift to the lower gear at the top of the hill, before you descend.

Answer 4

If by brake failure you mean that the brake pedal went to the floor when you stepped on it, the first thing you should do is shift into neutral and pump the brake pedal. In this case, you have a leak in the brake fluid, and pumping the brake will build enough pressure to stop the car. This will work only once.

If this doesn't work because it is not loss of brake fluid, you have already shifted into neutral, start slowly applying the parking brake. The parking brake is not designed to stop the car, but it will work once.

If you cannot get stopped in time to avoid hitting an object, try to hit an object that will give on impact. Hit the object with a glancing or side-swipe blow to reduce damage to your car, and reduce your chances of injury.

Answer 5

That almost never happens with dual circuit brakes these days and parking brake that can be used in emergencys. Gear down take away as much speed as possable and look for something soft to crash into. Never cover your eyes never take your hands off whe wheel until the ride has come to a complete crashing stop Any chance to steer around anything you dammage you have to pay for is reccomended. Have your brakes been inspected lately?

Answer 6

You have gotten several good answers, all basically the same - and several stupid ones - but, the one thing I have found is, if there is a curb try to rub your wheel against it. It's better to buy another wheel and tire than to have an accident, or hurt someone.
Another way that I found that worked for me is; shift to neutral, and drive a slalom pattern (weave side to side). This will cause the tires to scuff against the road, helping you to slow. The only thing is, you need to be sure you have room both in front, and to the sides. When you're slow enough don't forget the emer. brake.

Answer 7

Flip on those Hazard Lights and continue to drive extremely SLOW untill you see a spot where you can "cruise" to a stop. If your looking at a whole lot of no no where to go turn which slows the car more...but really keep your eyes open and go for the path of least destruction!

oh and if you really feel you need to ask this, fix your brakes please lol

Answer 8

Engine brake (downshifting) and hit the handbrake gently when you're going slow (It normally operates on drum brakes, which will heat up and lose efficiency if operated for a long time or at any speed).

Answer 9

Basically you get off the gas, and try to steer yourself out of trouble. Pump the brakes to see if you can get anything out of them. Don't turn off the car or you lose power steering and the steering wheel might lock. You can carefully apply the parking brake and see if it will slow you, but stay on the release so you don't lock up the rear tires and make it worse.

See: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3957121 and
http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/carbrake.htm

Answer 10

Shift the vehicle into the lowest gears, while also applying the parking/emergency brake.

Answer 11

I recommend for you to keep on driving and to step off the gass, find a hill to go up, and when your going slow enough, brace for a shock and pull the emergency brake.