What to Do if Your Parking Brake is Stuck
You Only Need It When You Need It
Clearly, you need your vehicle’s parking brake. When you leave your auto unattended, it provides you with another measure of security that your car isn’t going to roll. Should you experience a brake failure emergency, slowly engaging the parking brake may be your only means for stopping your car and avoiding disaster. However, you obviously only want the parking brake engaged when you really need it. Otherwise, you create other troubles. So what happens if it becomes stuck? For help with this topic and all your needed brake services and repairs, rely on Dynamic Automotive in New Market, Maryland. For more than a quarter-century, we’ve been helping people on the go stop safely when they need to.
Why Is It Stuck, and What Do You Do?
Your approach to freeing a stuck parking brake depends on why it isn’t releasing. One problem is a product of time and elements. Your brake may be stuck due to rust or corrosion. If so, there are a couple of things to try. Engage and disengage the brake multiple times. You can also put the vehicle in drive and reverse, moving the car slightly forward and backward repeatedly. If neither of these breaks the brake free, you will probably need to get a tow. If you parked in extremely cold weather, the source of trouble might be freezing. Try starting your auto to warm it. You may even rev it a bit to accelerate the process. Once you have done this, try engaging and disengaging it a few times to break the remaining ice. Similarly, if you’ve left your car parked with the brake on for a long time, it may seem frozen as if it were icy. If so, follow the same process you would for the cold weather problem. Finally, the parking brake may become stuck if you accidentally engage it too hard. Try the engage-disengage tactic. If it doesn’t break loose, you’ll probably need a tow truck. You should never attempt to drive with the brake engaged. First, your brake light will illuminate, and the car will feel as if it’s dragging along. You’ll also likely begin to smell a burning odor. Worse, as the brake overheats, it can warp the rotors or heat the brake fluid to the boiling point, causing complete brake failure.
Help for Your Sticky Situation
If your vehicle’s parking brake is stuck, we can help you. We’re also here to take care of all your routine service and brake repair needs. The ASE-certified mechanics at Dynamic Automotive in New Market, MD, take great care of both you and your car.
