Top 4 Symptoms of Bad or Worn Brake Pads


Brake Pads

What Are the Symptoms of Bad or Worn Brake Pads?

Your brakes are a critical component on your car so it’s important to make sure that they are functioning properly and don’t have any issues that could prevent you from coming to a stop.  That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on your brake pads to make sure that they don’t wear all the way down resulting in more costly repairs.  But what are the main symptoms of worn or bad brake pads?

1. Brake Light is On

Some cars are sophisticated enough to be able to tell you when there is a problem with the braking system.  If you see your brake light is on and your parking brake is not depressed there may be a problem with your braking system.

If you see the brake light illuminated on your dash first check to make sure that your parking brake isn’t engaged.  If your parking brake isn’t engaged this typically is an indication that your brake pads are low and need to be replaced.

But there may be a larger problem that needs to be addressed.

If the brake light comes on your car it’s best to inspect your brake system yourself if you know what you are looking for or take your car to a mechanic to have them inspect your brake system.

2. Squealing/Squeaking From Brakes

Hearing a squealing sound from your brakes can also indicate that there is a problem with your brakes. A high pitched squealing sound can also indicate that your brake pads are low.

Brake pads will typically come with a metal tab on the one end facing the brake rotor.  As the brake pad surface wears down the tab will begin to come in contact with the brake rotor surface which will produce a high pitched squeal to indicate that the brake pads need to be replaced.

When this happens you know that your brake pads are low and need to be replaced soon. Deciding to ignore this sound can lead to costly repairs down the line.  If you don’t know what a brake pad indicator sounds like I’ve attached a video below.

Another reason why brake pads can squeak is that they can become glazed over. When brake pads are first installed if they are not properly broken in they can glaze over and cause a high pitched squeal from your brakes.

This happens because the brake rotor and pads aren’t able to properly grip onto the brake rotor which is where the squealing sound comes from.  The easiest way to fix this problem is to replace your brake pads with new ones and to make sure you break in the new ones properly.

Squeaking noises coming from your brakes can be caused by a variety of reasons.  One way to tell that your brake pads are getting low is that they squeak when you press on the brake pedal.

3. Reduced Braking Power

Reduced braking power can also be a symptom of worn or bad brake pads.  Under certain conditions (excessive heat, no break-in period) brake pads can become glazed over.

At that point, the face of the brake pad will become slick and will no longer be able to effectively grip the brake rotor.

When this happens typically your brake pads need to be replaced.  But reduced braking power may be a larger problem than just your brake pads.  So it’s best to inspect your whole brake system if you experience reduced braking power in your car.

4. Grinding Noises

Grinding noises coming from your brakes is never a good sign.  Typically a grinding noise means that there is metal on metal contact between two parts of your brakes.

When your brake pads become so low that there is no longer any brake pad material left the metal backing plate will then be pushed against the brake rotor which will cause grinding noises.

That’s why it’s important to replace your brake pads before the brake pad material gets too low.

How Long Should Brake Pads Last?

Vehicle manufacturers will offer varying mileage figures for brake pads usually anywhere from 25,000-60,000 miles.  But the actual life you get out of your brake pads will be determined by how you drive, mainly by how hard you apply the brakes to bring your car to a stop.

Someone that lightly presses their brakes to bring them to a stop can expect their brake pads to last longer than someone that slams on their brakes to come to a stop every time. So really the mileage you can expect out of your brake pads can vary widely.

Instead of replacing brake pads at certain intervals most people should keep an eye on how much brake pad material is left on their brake pads and replace them when the brake pad material gets low.

Can Worn Brake Pads Cause Damage?

Yes, worn our brake pads can cause damage to your braking system.  A brake pad is just a metal backing plate with brake pad material attached to it.

As the piston inside of the brake caliper pushes on the back of the backing plate the brake pad material is forced up against your brake rotors.  This friction between the rotor and brake pad material is what brings your car to a stop.

If you let the brake pad material get too low it will eventually wear away and you will only have the metal backing plate left to push against the brake rotor.

While the metal backing plate will still bring your car to a stop it will create metal on metal contact and ruin the surface of your brake rotors.  Meaning you’d need to replace your brake rotors and brake pads from the damage done.

How Much Does it Cost to Replace Brake Pads?

The cost to replace brake pads can vary widely depending on how large your brake pads are, what kind of material you decide to go with on your replacement brake pads, and if you plan to replace your brake pads yourself.

Replacement brake pads can cost anywhere from $50-$160 for a set of front and rear brake pads.

I’d recommend installing the brake pads yourself to save some money if you are comfortable working on your car. If you need to have the brake pads installed you can expect to pay anywhere from $200-$500 depending on your specific vehicle.

If your car has multiple pistons within the brake caliper or has massive brake rotors your brake pads will be larger to compensate.  As you can imagine the larger your brake pads are the more money they will cost to manufacture and for you to purchase.

The material of brake pads you decide to go with will also have an impact on the costs to replace your brake pads.  Semi-metallic brake pads will be cheaper than ceramic brake pads, but there are pros and cons to both.

Semi-metallic brake pads will typically produce more dust and not last as long as ceramic brake pads.  So while you may be saving money upfront semi-metallic brake pads may cause you headaches in other areas down the line.

How to tell if Your Brake Pads Need to be Replaced

If your car doesn’t come with a brake light indicating that your brake pads are low and need to be replaced the good news is that you can visually inspect your brake pads to tell if they are getting low.

You may need to remove your wheel to be able to see how much brake pad material is left but you may be able to see how much brake pad material is left with the wheel still on.  It just depends on your specific car and how the wheels are positioned.

If you are a visual learner and would like to what a video showing you how to check your brake pads check out the video below.

1. Check Both Front and Back Brakes

With brake pads, you will have a front set of brake pads and a rear set of brake pads.  Usually, they will not be the same size for both front and back.  Another thing to keep in mind is that the front and back brake pads may not wear down at the same rate.

Your rear brake pads may have plenty of life left in them while your front brake pads may be on the verge of needing to be replaced.  It all comes down to your specific vehicle, how the brakes are used, and when the brake pads were last replaced.

2. Inspect Brake System

To check how much brake pad material is remaining on your brake pads you’ll first need to locate some sort of light source, as usual, it’s dark underneath cars.  You’ll also need to learn the basics of brakes so that you know what you are looking at.

You more than likely have disc brakes which means that you have a brake rotor, which is the round shiny metal part behind your wheels, and a brake caliper that clamps onto the brake rotor to create friction to bring your car to a stop.

3. Locate Brake Caliper

To check your brake pads, you’ll need to locate your brake caliper, your brake pads are located inside of the brake rotor and separate your brake caliper and brake rotor from being in contact with each other.

Once you’ve located the brake caliper you can peer into the opening surrounding the brake caliper to see if you can see the brake pad and brake material.

4. Check Brake Material

If you can see how much brake pad material is left then you’d need to determine if the brake pads need to be replaced or not. If you aren’t able to see the brake pad then you’d need to take off your wheel to be able to inspect the brake pads.

Typically, you’d want to replace your brake pads before they are so worn down that the brake pad metal backing plate is close to coming in contact with the brake rotor.

Letting your brake pads wear down all the way means that there will be metal on metal contact between the brake pad backing plate and the brake rotor.

5. Replace Brake Pads

Once your brake pads have worn down to the point of causing metal on metal contact between the brake pad backing plate and the brake rotor you will need to replace your brake pads and rotors.

You could still replace just your brake pads but your brake rotors would have already been damaged beyond repair.

At that point, you’d likely be looking at having to replace both of your brake rotors and brake pads because metal on metal contact is not good for your brakes.

As if you remember brake pads are designed to keep brake rotors and the brake pad backing plate separated.

Related Questions

Is it Normal for Brakes to Squeak? Under normal driving conditions, it’s not normal for your brakes to squeak.  Sometimes if the brakes haven’t been used in a while they can put off a squeaking noise when they are first used again.

But after multiple braking attempts they should heat up and that squeaking noise should no longer be there. If after multiple stops your brakes are still squeaking you likely have a problem with your brakes that need to be addressed.

What Happens If You Drive With Worn Out Brake Pads? Eventually, your brake pads will wear through all of the brake pad material and the metal backing plate of the brake pad will be used to bring you to a stop.

When this happens grinding sounds can be heard when applying your brakes, which usually results in you needing to replace your brake pads and rotors.

How Long Can You Drive With Worn Out Brake Pads? When you hear the squeaking noise of the brake pad indicator against your brake rotor it’s a good idea to go ahead and replace your brake pads as they are worn and will need to be replaced soon.

You should still be able to drive a few more weeks like that but the brake pads are nearing the end of their life.

Why Does My Car Shake When I Brake? If you feel vibrations from your car when you press the brake pedal this is usually a sign that there is an issue with your brakes, but not your brake pads.

Feeling vibrations when braking typically means that your brake rotors are warped and need to be replaced. Brake rotors are designed to be flat but can become warped from heat buildup that can occur after episodes of heavy braking.

When brake rotors are warped the brake pad will be pushed back and forth against the brake rotor which is what causes the vibration that you would be able to feel inside of your car.

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