Should You Drive On Low Brake Pads?

Brake pads are the visible part of your vehicle's braking system that provides the necessary friction to slow down your car. These pads are located in the brake calipers, and they work by pressing against the disc brake rotors. Brakes are the most important safety feature of any vehicle. If you sense any problem with your brakes, including low brake pads, you should not drive your car. Instead, low brake pads warn you to have your car serviced by a car brake service specialist.

Brake Warning Light On

Usually, any problem with the braking system, including that of worn out brake pads, results in the brake warning light turning on. The light also could also be signaling a problem with the brake fluid, leaking brakes, brake pedal, or rotor. Some vehicles have dash lines to represent the brake pads in the brake warning light. You should not drive with the brake warning light on because it is asking for an accident.

Symptoms of Other Problems

You should not disregard worn out or low brake pads, because this can actually be a symptom of other problems in the braking system. Low brake pads can lead to noisy and squeaky brakes due to the wear sensor having metal-to-metal contact with the rotor, thereby damaging both parts. This contact can also lead to a pulsating brake pedal, which potentially harms the rotor, too. Simply put, you should not drive on low brake pads, because this may cause further damages to other components of the brake system.

Poor Brake Response

Most importantly, low brake pads can have poor or less-than-optimal braking response. If the pads have been severely worn out, their capacity to slow down the vehicle may not be enough. Reduced brake response does not only result in heating due to repeatedly pressing the brake pads, but it may also halt the optimal braking function of the vehicle. So you should avoid driving in case of low brake pads because they have poorer brake response, which can result in the inability to slow down the car when needed.

To protect yourself and other motorists from accidents and to prevent further damages to your car, you should not drive on low brake pads. You should constantly check your brake pads for visual cues if one or two of them need to be replaced already. The best thing to do is to heed the warning signs and have your car serviced at a car brake service shop, such as George's Eastside Shell.


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