Brakes Symptom Diagnosis

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2011 Suzuki SX4. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

BRAKES SYMPTOM DIAGNOSIS

Condition	Possible Cause	Action
Not enough braking force	Brake fluid leakage from brake lines	Locate leaking point and repair .
	Brake disc or pad stained with fluid, grease or other oil	Clean or replace .
	Overheated brakes	Determine cause and repair .
	Poor contact of shoes on brake drum (rear drum brake model)	Repair for proper contact .
	Brake shoe stained with oil or wet with water (rear drum brake model)	Replace .
	Badly worn brake pad	Replace .
	Defective wheel cylinders (rear drum brake model)	Repair or replace .
	Malfunctioning caliper assembly	Repair or replace .
	Air in system	Bleed system .
	Brake booster internal failure	Replace brake booster .
	Negative pressure for brake booster is inadequate	Check engine condition and vacuum hose .
	Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®)	Check system and replace as necessary .
Brake pull (Brakes not working in unison)	Pad, disc, shoe and/or drum are wet with water or stained with oil in some brakes	Clean or replace .
	Drum-to-shoe clearance out of adjustment in some brakes (Malfunctioning auto adjusting mechanism) (rear drum brake model)	Check for inoperative auto adjusting mechanism .
	Disc and/or drum are out of round in some brakes	Replace .
	Tires are inflated unequally	Inflate equally .
	Malfunction in wheel cylinders (rear drum brake model)	Repair or replace .
	Disturbed front wheel 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 double walled steel brake tubing .
	Malfunctioning caliper assembly	Check for stuck or sluggish pistons and proper lubrication of caliper slide pin .
	Loose suspension parts	Check all suspension mountings .
	Loose calipers	Check and torque bolts to specifications .
Noise (High pitched squeak without brake applied)	Contact wear indicator to brake disc	Replace brake pad .
Noise (High pitched squeak without brake applied)	Worn rear brake shoe (rear drum brake model)	Replace brake shoe .
Excessive pedal travel (Pedal stroke too large)	Partial brake system failure	Check brake systems and repair as necessary .
	Brake fluid leaking	Repair the leaking point, and bleed air .
	Air in system (soft/spongy pedal)	Bleed system .
	Rear brake system not adjusted (malfunctioning auto adjusting mechanism) (rear drum brake model)	Repair auto adjusting mechanism .
	Bent brake shoes (rear drum brake model)	Replace brake shoes .
Brake locked	Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®)	Check system referring to ABS CHECKor ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM CHECK .
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 hoses and/or new brake piping .
	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 .
	Badly worn piston seal in caliper	Replace piston seal .
	Improper brake pedal free height	Check brake pedal free height .
Pedal pulsation (Pedal pulsates when depressed for braking)	Damaged wheel bearings	Replace wheel bearings .
	Distorted steering knuckle or rear wheel spindle or rear axle shaft	Replace knuckle or rear wheel spindle or rear axle shaft .
	Excessive disc lateral runout	Check per instructions. If not within specifications, replace or machine disc .
	Rear drums out of round (rear drum brake model)	Check runout .
Braking noise	Glazed brake pad and/or brake shoe	Repair or replace brake pad and/or brake shoe .
	Worn or distorted brake shoe (rear drum brake model)	Replace brake shoe .
	Loose front wheel bearings	Replace wheel hub .
	Distorted backing plates or loose mounting bolts	Replace or retighten securing bolts .
	Contact wear indicator to brake disc	Replace brake pads .
Brake warning light lights after engine start	Parking brake applied	Release parking brake and check that brake warning light turns off .
	Insufficient amount of brake fluid	Investigate leaky point, correct it and add brake fluid .
	Brake fluid leaking	Investigate leaky point, correct it and add brake fluid .
	Brake warning light circuit faulty	Repair circuit .
	Malfunctioning EBD system	Check system referring to EBD WARNING LIGHT (BRAKE WARNING LIGHT) COMES ON STEADY .
Brake warning light turns on when brake is applied	Brake fluid leaking	Investigate leaky point, correct it and add brake fluid .
Brake warning light turns on when brake is applied	Insufficient amount of brake fluid	Investigate leaky point, correct it and add brake fluid .
Brake warning light fails to turn on even when parking brake is applied	Brake warning light circuit faulty	Replace bulb or repair circuit .
ABS warning light or ESP® warning light turns on after engine start	Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®)	Check system referring to ABS CHECKor ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM CHECK .
ABS warning light or ESP® warning light turns on when brake is applied	Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®)	Check system referring to ABS CHECKor ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM CHECK .
ABS warning light or ESP® warning light does not turn on for 2 sec. after ignition switch has turned ON	Bulb burnt out	Replace bulb .
	Malfunctioning ABS (ESP®)	Check system referring to ABS CHECKor ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM CHECK .
ABS warning light flashes	New ABS (ESP®) hydraulic unit/control module assembly installed.	Perform ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT OPERATION CHECKor ESP(R) HYDRAULIC UNIT OPERATION CHECK .