What are the Symptoms of Bad Brake Calipers?

The Symptoms Of Bad Brake Calipers

Bad break calipers have quite a few signs and are an important part of your vehicle's performance and safety. Some of the signs your brake caliper may be going bad are -

Noises, which include:

• Squealing
• Grinding
• Clunking
• Metal scraping or rubbing sounds

Feeling things like:

• Your steering wheel pulling to one side while driving
• Vibrations in the steering wheel when stopping
• Vibrations in the brake pedal when releasing your foot off of the brake.
• Your car taking longer to stop or more pressure to slow down.

Seeing things like:

• Uneven wear in the brake pads
• Leaking brake fluid

All of these are good signs you might have a caliper problem. But what are calipers and why are they important?

Calipers Have A Very Important Job

Your brake calipers are what suspends your brake pads over the spinning rotor when your car is in park or drive. When you want to stop, your foot applies pressure on the brake, which lowers the calipers holding your brakes down to the spinning rotor where caliper piston(s) come out to push the brake pads onto/against the spinning rotor, applying friction to slow down or stop your car. They are also what keeps your brake pads from being flung away when the pressure is applied to the spinning rotor when braking.

Calipers Take A Beating

They take a great deal of abuse and without them, your brakes would not work properly if at all. Calipers and brakes are interconnected and when something is wrong with one it causes a domino effect. When changing or replacing your brakes, the calipers should really be replaced as well. Safety should always come first when it comes to the parts of your car that could save your life or even someone else's if the brakes are applied in time when crucial seconds matter.

Your calipers affect:

• Steering
• Alignment while driving
• Slowing and stopping
• Your tires
• Your brake pads and rotors/discs

Letting a brake problem go for too long could endanger your life and the lives of others. The importance of the parts of your braking system and their performance cannot be stressed enough. Keeping them maintained and working properly is paramount.