Brakes Symptom Diagnosis
BRAKES SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC CHART
| Condition | Possible Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Not enough braking force | Brake fluid leakage from brake lines | Locate leaking point and repair . |
| Brake disc or pads stained with fluid | Clean or replace . | |
| Overheated brakes | Determine cause and repair . | |
| Poor contact of shoes on brake drum | Repair for proper contact . | |
| Brake shoes linings stained with fluid or wet with water | Replace . | |
| Badly worn brake shoe linings | Replace . | |
| Defective wheel cylinders | Repair or replace . | |
| Malfunctioning caliper assembly | Repair or replace . | |
| Air in system | Bleed system . | |
| Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®), if equipped | Check system and replace as necessary . | |
| Brake pull (Brakes not working in unison) | Pad or shoe linings are wet with water or stained with fluid in some brakes | Replace . |
| Drum-to-shoe clearance out of adjustment in some brakes. (malfunctioning auto adjusting mechanism) | Check for inoperative auto adjusting mechanism . | |
| Drum is out of round in some brakes | Replace . | |
| Wheel tires are inflated unequally | Inflate equally . | |
| Malfunctioning wheel cylinders | Repair or replace . | |
| Disturbed front end alignment | Adjust as prescribed . | |
| Unmatched tires on same axle | Tires with approximately the same amount of tread should be used on the same axle . | |
| Restricted brake pipes or hoses | Check for soft hoses and damaged lines. Replace with new hoses and new brake piping . | |
| Malfunctioning caliper assembly | Check for stuck or sluggish pistons and proper lubrication of caliper slide bush . | |
| Loose suspension parts | Caliper should slide. Check all suspension mountings . | |
| Loose calipers | Check and torque bolts to specifications . | |
| Brake locked (For vehicles equipped with ABS (ESP®)) | Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®), if equipped | Check system and replace as necessary . |
| Excessive pedal travel (Pedal stroke too large) | Partial brake system failure | Check brake systems and repair as necessary . |
| Insufficient fluid in master cylinder reservoirs | Fill reservoirs with approved brake fluid. Check for leaks and air in brake systems. Check warning lamp. Bleed system if required . | |
| Air in system (pedal soft/spongy) | Bleed system . | |
| Rear brake system not adjusted (malfunctioning auto adjusting mechanism) | Repair auto adjusting mechanism. Adjust rear brakes . | |
| Bent brake shoes | Replace brake shoes . | |
| Worn rear brake shoes | Replace brake shoes . | |
| Dragging brakes (A very light drag is present in all brakes immediately after pedal is released) | Master cylinder pistons not returning correctly | Replace master cylinder . |
| Restricted brake pipes or hoses | Check for soft hoses or damaged pipes and replace with new hoes and/or new brake pipes . | |
| Incorrect parking brake adjustment on rear brakes | Check and adjust to correct specifications . | |
| Weakened or broken return springs in the brake | Replace . | |
| Sluggish parking-brake cables or linkage | Repair or replace . | |
| Wheel cylinder or caliper piston sticking | Repair as necessary . | |
| Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®), if equipped | Check system and replace as necessary . | |
| Pedal pulsation (Pedal pulsates when depressed for braking) | Damaged or loose wheel bearings | Replace wheel bearings . |
| Distorted steering knuckle or axle shafts | Replace knuckle or axle shaft . | |
| Excessive disc lateral runout | Check per instructions. If not within specifications, replace or machine the disc . | |
| Parallelism not within specifications | Check per instructions. If not with specifications, replace or machine the disc . | |
| Rear drums out of round | Check runout. Repair or replace drum as necessary . | |
| Braking noise | Glazed shoe linings, or foreign matters stuck to linings | Repair or replace shoe lining . |
| Worn or distorted shoe linings | Replace shoe lining (or pad) . | |
| Loose wheel bearings | Replace wheel bearing . | |
| Distorted backing plates or loose mounting bolts | Replace or retighten securing bolts . | |
| Brake warning lamp turns ON after engine start | Parking brake applied | Release parking brake and check that brake warning lamp turns off . |
| Insufficient amount of brake fluid | Add brake fluid . | |
| Brake fluid leaking from brake line | Investigate leaky point, correct it and add brake fluid . | |
| Brake warning lamp circuit faulty | Repair circuit . | |
| Malfunctioning EBD system, if equipped with ABS (ESP®) | Check system. Refer to EBD WARNING LAMP (BRAKE WARNING LAMP) COMES ON STEADY . | |
| Brake warning lamp turns on when brake is applied | Brake fluid leaking from brake line | Investigate leaky point, correct it and add brake fluid . |
| Insufficient amount of brake fluid | Add brake fluid . | |
| Brake warning lamp fails to turn on even when parking brake is applied | Bulb burnt out | Replace bulb . |
| Brake warning lamp circuit open | Repair circuit . | |
| ABS warning lamp or ESP® warning lamp does not turn ON for 2 - 3 sec. after ignition switch has turned ON | Bulb burnt out | Replace bulb . |
| ABS warning lamp or ESP® warning lamp circuit open (including check relay) | Repair or replace . | |
| Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®) | Check system. Refer to ABS WARNING LAMP DOES NOT COME ON AT IGNITION SWITCH ON or ESP® WARNING LAMP DOES NOT COME ON AT IGNITION SWITCH ON . | |
| ABS warning lamp or ESP® warning lamp remains ON after ignition switch has turned ON for 2 - 3 sec . | Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®) | Check system. Refer to ABS WARNING LAMP COMES ON STEADY or ESP® WARNING LAMP DOES NOT COME ON AT IGNITION SWITCH ON . |