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Home / Symptoms / Stuck Brake Pad

Four common causes for vehicle stuck brake pads and their related parts.

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Is The Brake Pad In Your Car Sticking?

The brake pad is possibly getting stuck because the caliper piston is damaged and can’t be released. However, it might also be that an oil leak is causing the brakes to become oil-soaked and sticky. Alternatively, faulty sensors, collapsed brake hoses, stuck parking brake cables, or a failing ABS module might be the culprits.

To prevent the problem from escalating and affecting parts like the rear brakes, consider talking with a qualified technician with expertise in brake systems. They can diagnose and fix the issue promptly, helping you avoid costly repairs and ensure your vehicle's integrity.

Regular brake maintenance and vehicle health inspections are essential for preventing issues like these from occurring. Remember, your safety on the road should always be a top priority, so don't hesitate to seek help if you notice any issues with your brakes.

Watch out: If your car's brake pad is partially stuck, it might cause uneven braking and compromise your safety on the road. Therefore, taking action and identifying the cause of any brake-related issue is crucial to avoid dangerous consequences.

Let's Get To The Bottom Of It!

Is there smoke coming from one of the wheels?

The brake caliper is vital to your car's braking system. Another essential part of this system, a piston, moves in and out to push the brake pads against the brake rotor, making the car brake. This process is powered by pressurizing brake fluid. To protect the piston, a piston boot removes dirt and water. However, water can enter the caliper if the boot gets torn, causing rust. If this happens, the piston gets partially stuck and gently engages the pads. This can make the brake pads heat up so much that they start smoking.

Is the vehicle pulling to one side when braking?

The brake hose is a rubber tube that helps the brake fluid to move through to the brake calipers. It's a bit like a straw that lets the fluid travel to where it's needed. Over time, the inside of the hose can break down and cause a blockage. It's like when a straw gets clogged, and you can't get any liquid through it. This blockage can turn into a one-way valve, which means that when you apply the brake pressure, the fluid can get through the hose, but when you release the brake, the blockage stops the fluid from flowing back the other way. This can make your car pull to one side when you're driving

Do you hear a gradually increasing humming noise when speeding?

The brake pads are like cushions that help your car stop. They sit inside a brake saddle, like a little seat on which the pads rest. When you press the brake pedal, it makes the caliper - which is like a clamp that squeezes the pads - pull back. A rubber ring called an o-ring helps the brake fluid do its job. Usually, when you release the brake pedal, the pads release from the brake rotor (which is like a metal disk that the pads press against). But if there's dirt or rust in the slides where the pads sit, the pads can get stuck and not move away from the rotor. When this happens, you might hear a humming noise from your brakes. This noise is more noticeable at higher speeds.

Do the brakes "drag" after you release them?

The axle seal helps keep the gear oil inside the axle. This action ensures that things run smoothly. However, since it's made of rubber, it can wear out over time and start to leak. If this happens, oil can seep onto the brake pads, making them sticky. Consequently, the brakes stick to the wheels even after you take your foot off the brake pedal, making driving harder and damaging your vehicle.

Is the ABS activating at random, without necessity?

The wheel speed sensor tells the anti-lock brake module how fast each wheel turns. If one wheel spins faster or slower than the others, the anti-lock brake system applies the brakes to keep the vehicle stable and prevent skidding. However, if one of the wheel speed sensors is broken or not working correctly, the anti-lock brake system can activate without necessity, causing the brakes to drag and impact the car's handling.

Are both the ABS and "Check Engine" light active on the dashboard?

The ABS module is like an intelligent computer that helps control your brakes to keep the system safe. It regulates the wheels by stopping or accelerating them to ensure they spin at the same rates. If it's not working right, especially in bad driving conditions, the brakes can lock up, and you might lose control of the car. When there's a problem with the ABS module, you'll see lights on your dashboard that say "ABS" and "Check Engine."

The most common causes of brakes getting stuck

The most common causes for car brake pads getting stuck:

Collapsed brake hose: The brake hose, or brake lines, are rubber tubes that transfer brake fluid to braking components, using hydraulic pressure to apply force that engages the movement for stopping the vehicle. However, if the brake hose gets obstructed or collapsed, the hydraulic pressure can remain constant, keeping the brakes applied.
Leaking axle seal: The axle seal sits above brake components and it relates to the steering and suspension. However, the axle seal transports transmission fluid, which can leak out and drip through, reaching brake components. The brake pad commonly gets greasy whenever the axle seal leaks, resulting in a sticky brake pad that can remain partially applied on the wheels.
Faulty wheel speed sensor: The wheel speed sensor is constantly reading the wheel’s speed, sending this information to the vehicle’s computer module so it can understand how fast the car is going and adapt accessories like ABS, traction control, etc. However, a faulty wheel speed sensor can send wrong information to the module, causing the ABS to engage unnecessarily, and resulting in stuck brakes.
Faulty ABS module: The ABS module receives information from the wheel speed sensors to understand what the driver's behavior is. For example, if the wheel speed is high and suddenly drops, it means an urgency, when the ABS module gets this information, it considers an emergency that requires the assisted brakes. A faulty ABS module might start engaging assisted brakes without need, causing erratic and stuck braking.
Stuck brake pad: The brake pad is a component that, in summary, grips around the wheels and forces them to stop rotating; the pads make direct contact with the wheels. However, these pads can become greasy due to surrounding fluid leaks, rusty from aging, or bent from accidents, resulting in an ever-applying brake pad that makes your vehicle’s brakes stuck.
Stuck brake caliper piston: The caliper piston is the “hand” that pushes the brake pads and forces the pads around the wheels so the vehicle stops driving. However, the caliper can get stuck due to bad hydraulic pressure, rust, or general damage, causing the pads to become constantly applied and leading to a stuck brake.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there smoke coming from one of the wheels?

The brake caliper is vital to your car's braking system. Another essential part of this system, a piston, moves in and out to push the brake pads against the brake rotor, making the car brake. This process is powered by pressurizing brake fluid. To protect the piston, a piston boot removes dirt and water. However, water can enter the caliper if the boot gets torn, causing rust. If this happens, the piston gets partially stuck and gently engages the pads. This can make the brake pads heat up so much that they start smoking.
Is the vehicle pulling to one side when braking?

The brake hose is a rubber tube that helps the brake fluid to move through to the brake calipers. It's a bit like a straw that lets the fluid travel to where it's needed. Over time, the inside of the hose can break down and cause a blockage. It's like when a straw gets clogged, and you can't get any liquid through it. This blockage can turn into a one-way valve, which means that when you apply the brake pressure, the fluid can get through the hose, but when you release the brake, the blockage stops the fluid from flowing back the other way. This can make your car pull to one side when you're driving
Do you hear a gradually increasing humming noise when speeding?

The brake pads are like cushions that help your car stop. They sit inside a brake saddle, like a little seat on which the pads rest. When you press the brake pedal, it makes the caliper - which is like a clamp that squeezes the pads - pull back. A rubber ring called an o-ring helps the brake fluid do its job. Usually, when you release the brake pedal, the pads release from the brake rotor (which is like a metal disk that the pads press against). But if there's dirt or rust in the slides where the pads sit, the pads can get stuck and not move away from the rotor. When this happens, you might hear a humming noise from your brakes. This noise is more noticeable at higher speeds.
Do the brakes "drag" after you release them?

The axle seal helps keep the gear oil inside the axle. This action ensures that things run smoothly. However, since it's made of rubber, it can wear out over time and start to leak. If this happens, oil can seep onto the brake pads, making them sticky. Consequently, the brakes stick to the wheels even after you take your foot off the brake pedal, making driving harder and damaging your vehicle.
Is the ABS activating at random, without necessity?

The wheel speed sensor tells the anti-lock brake module how fast each wheel turns. If one wheel spins faster or slower than the others, the anti-lock brake system applies the brakes to keep the vehicle stable and prevent skidding. However, if one of the wheel speed sensors is broken or not working correctly, the anti-lock brake system can activate without necessity, causing the brakes to drag and impact the car's handling.
Are both the ABS and "Check Engine" light active on the dashboard?

The ABS module is like an intelligent computer that helps control your brakes to keep the system safe. It regulates the wheels by stopping or accelerating them to ensure they spin at the same rates. If it's not working right, especially in bad driving conditions, the brakes can lock up, and you might lose control of the car. When there's a problem with the ABS module, you'll see lights on your dashboard that say "ABS" and "Check Engine."

Typical fixes to address the cause(s)

These are typical processes and repair services that fix a check engine light issue

The most common cause: Stuck caliper piston

The most common reason for a car brake pad stuck is due to a stuck caliper piston. The caliper piston is the part that receives hydraulic pressure from the brake fluid and then presses the brake pads, leaning them and forcing them on the wheels to try and stop the vehicle. However, the caliper piston can become faulty and keep applying the pads constantly, even without the driver's command, leading to a stuck brake pad.

Symptoms it causes: Apart from the vehicle brakes sticking you might notice the car pulling to one side, the steering wheel shaking, squealing noises, uneven tire wear, etc.
High risk of priority: A stuck caliper piston results in your vehicle brakes degrading and becoming unresponsive and unpredictable. This is a serious safety issue as you can’t properly manage the brakes and control the vehicle.

How exactly does the caliper piston get stuck?

The caliper piston commonly gets stuck due to rust. Some components surrounding the piston, like the piston boots, protect the caliper piston from grease, water, and materials that could cause rust. However, if the caliper piston is too old and worn, the piston boots might fail and allow fluids to contact the calipers, leading to rust. A rusty caliper has a high chance of becoming stiff and stuck.

Go safe: Ask for a mechanic to inspect your vehicle’s brake system to investigate if the caliper piston is stuck due to surrounding components and if there’s further damage to check out. Many shops do transparent vehicle inspections and lay out your options after investigating your vehicle’s conditions.

What’s a vehicle inspection? It’s “detective work” on your vehicle, checking its systems to see if anything prevents the car from working as expected. In this case, mechanics examine different parts of your vehicle to track if anything is causing the caliper piston to get stuck. They’ll also check the condition of components during their inspection, noting which are causing the problem and which got affected by it, recommending to replace them in order of priority.

Transparency example in a leaking radiator service

A brake system inspection is the most transparent process to understand why your vehicle’s caliper piston is stuck. This is because many components surrounding the radiator, coolant tank, and cooling hoses can have a say in the issue, indicating the real culprits that caused it all.

Let’s read an example of how this kind of inspection helps to service a stuck caliper piston and solve a stuck braking issue.

The customer noticed a hot smell and saw smoke coming out of the right front wheel of their vehicle. They also mentioned that the steering wheel vibrated a bit, resulting in the car pulling to one side.

To investigate this issue, a technician did a test drive and observed the vehicle was pulling to the right. Interestingly, when applying the brakes, the pulling went away. This meant something wrong with the vehicle's braking system.

During the vehicle health inspection, the technician noticed that the right front brake pads were thinner than the left and had definite heat spots. In addition, the technician suspected the right front caliper was sticking due to the torn piston boot and rust.

The technician tried to manually engage the piston to confirm this suspicion, but it was stuck. Due to the number of heat spots on the rotor and the thinness of the pads, the technician recommended replacing both front rotors, brake calipers, and pads; they also recommended a brake system flush.

Stuck brake caliper piston

In this case, the mechanic put the “Immediate Action” tag on the caliper piston and boots.

Similar Symptoms

Below are just a few examples of typical Symptoms and Fixes your car might be experiencing

Four common causes for weird braking from a vehicle and their related parts.

Is The Brake Pad In Your Car Sticking?

Let's Get To The Bottom Of It!

The most common causes of brakes getting stuck

Find Professional Help

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there smoke coming from one of the wheels?

Is the vehicle pulling to one side when braking?

Do you hear a gradually increasing humming noise when speeding?

Do the brakes "drag" after you release them?

Is the ABS activating at random, without necessity?

Are both the ABS and "Check Engine" light active on the dashboard?

Typical fixes to address the cause(s)

The most common cause: Stuck caliper piston

How exactly does the caliper piston get stuck?

Transparency example in a leaking radiator service

Similar Symptoms

Why Is My Car Braking Weird?

Why Is My Car Grinding When I Brake?

Why Won't My Car Start?

Why Is My Engine Sputtering?

Why Is My Steering Wheel Shaking?

Why Is My Transmission Slipping?

Why Does My Car Shake When I Brake?

Why is My Car Overheating?

Why Does My Car Struggle To Start in The Cold?

Why Is My Car Not Accelerating?

Why is My Car Jerking When Accelerating?

Why Won't My Car Shift Out Of "Park"?