When it comes to taking care of your car, you should never ignore issues with your brakes. Your brakes allow you to control your car, so if you are having brake issues, you need to see your mechanic right away. You should be aware of a few brake issues, so if you experience them, you know to get help right away.

Squealing Sound

When you press on your brakes and you hear a squealing sound, that means that your brake pads have worn down. Your brake pads wear down every time they are used, and eventually, they get down to the bottom layer and start to decrease effectiveness.

Most brake pads are designed with a small metal tab that becomes exposed as your brake pads wear down. When that small metal tab is worn down, it will be producing a squeaking or squealing sound. This sound is to alert you that you need to replace your brakes soon. You can drive with the sound for a little while, but you should get an appointment on the books as soon as you start hearing this sound.

Soft Brake Pedal

When you press on the brake pedal, you should feel a degree of resistance and precision. If you have to press down harder or deeper for your brakes to work, your brakes are soft. Generally, soft brake pedals are a sign that something is wrong with the hydraulic side of your brake system. You could be leaking brake fluid, or the brake fluid could be contaminated with water or air.

Soft brakes are a warning sign that you need to get your vehicle to your mechanic right away. You are not going to want to keep driving on soft brakes, as you risk not being able to stop immediately. Soft brakes require emergency repairs and shouldn't be ignored.

Metallic Scraping

A metallic scraping sound is different than the squeaking or squealing sound your brake pads will make when they start to wear down. A metal scraping sound is a much louder and deeper sound. A metallic scraping sound generally occurs when you allow your brakes to wear down completely and the brake pads are completely gone.

This results in a metal-on-metal sound, which is loud and deep and means you can't ignore your brake pads anymore. A metallic scraping sound can also be related to your brake caliper, which is the mechanism that depresses your brake pad onto the rotors, which has failed.

If you notice any of the brake warning signs above, get to a mechanic. You don't want to ignore brake issues, as doing so can compromise your ability to control your vehicle.