Q: Brakes going out.

asked by on January 13, 2016

The brake pedal is soft and goes to the floor. It seems like the brakes might be going out.

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When your brake pedal goes to the floor you are experiencing a severe brake failure and you definitely need to take care of it right away. If you cannot build pressure in the brake system by pumping the brake pedal then you may have a failure in the brake master cylinder. It may also be a leak in the system. I would start by checking the brake fluid in the master cylinder. If it is very low then you may have a leak. To find the leak a technician would put the car on a rack and remove the wheels to inspect all of the braking parts for wetness indicating a leak. If there are no leaks then the seals inside of the master cylinder are probably bad. This is diagnosed by clamping off the brake lines to see if pressure still cannot be built. If it cannot then the master cylinder should be replaced. When replacing a master cylinder in this car it is very important that it is bench bled first and then the rest of the brakes must be bled after installation. To do this you should get the assistance of a certified mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, as they have the tools and the knowledge to find the problem and then repair it.

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