Automotive

Brakes Squeak When Stopping Slow – Common Reasons

When it comes to brake systems of vehicles, it is very important to make the regular maintenance to increase the safety of the passengers. Some people may overlook the regular maintenance schedules of different parts of cars, but the maintenance of the brake systems is very important, and you need to take care of the first safety thing of your car. Also, the noises that come from the brake systems are the general question that people are asking about. One of these noises is the brakes squeak when stopping slow. Here, we will try to examine this situation and what are the general causes and general solutions that you can apply.

Why do brakes squeak when stopping slow?

Brakes Squeak When Stopping Slow
Brake disc and caliper structure. Image Source: Motormechs.com.

Actually, if there are different kinds of sounds that come from the brake system of your car, there can be different kinds of reasons for it. Making divisions and classifications of these noises are not generally possible for most of the cases. This is because the reasons for these noises are generally the same.

We can’t say that, according to experience, there is no difference between the noises that come from the brake systems of vehicles when you are stopping slow or stopping hard. The noise mechanism behind these situations is generally the same.

So, you can understand that the mechanism behind the noise while you are stopping slow is the same as the general noises that come from the brake systems of different cars.

How does the brake system work?

Before diving into the general causes of the squeaking noises that come from slowing down, we need to understand the general working principles of the brake systems.

The systems are generally considered as the brake pedal, the brake pedal mechanism that sends the information that you are braking to the master cylinder that regulates the brake fluid. The cylinder sends the brake fluid, which is hydraulic fluid, to the brake calipers. The calipers are the parts that hold the additional brake parts, such as brake pads and the brake hoses that the brake fluid comes through. When the brake fluid comes through the brake caliper, the piston mechanism inside the caliper pushes the brake pads to the brake rotor. The brake rotor is made from very hard materials such as steel and is generally attached to the axle system of the vehicle. The wheel rotates, and the brake rotor rotates. The brake pads are the static parts that come into contact with the brake rotors to create friction to slow down your vehicle.

This is the most general working principle of the brake system. You understand that the songs generally come from the brake pads or the friction between the brake pads and the rotor. The friction between the brake pads and the rotor must be in an ideal condition. The ideal condition means the alignment of the brake rotor and the brake pad must be in a specific position. So, it requires great expertise to provide this condition.

What are the general causes of the noises?

Here, we can talk about some kinds of several reasons for these noises.

  • Worn-out brake pads: Brake pads are systems or parts that we attach to the caliper system of the car. So, brake pads worn out in a specific period or specific range of use, and you need to replace the brake pads with new applications. No brake pads are the consumables of the brake systems, and there is a level that you can use the brake pads. When the brake pads are worn out, it can create these strange noises that come from the brake system of your car. This can be the reason for the screeching noises that come from your brake system while you are slowing down. Replacement of the brake pads will solve your problem.
  • Filth between the brake pads and rotors: Filth and unwanted materials can cause these noises. These unwanted materials can cause very bad noises, which means you need to clean your brake system appropriately. If you clean between the brake pads and the rotors, this can be the solution to the noises that come from your brake system.
  • Problems with alignment: As we explained about the alignment between the brake calipers and the brake rotors is a very important thing for the ideal braking performance for your car. And if the braking does not take place in this ideal condition, this means you can hear strange noises because of the uneven friction between the brake rotor and the brake caliper. The solution to that problem is generally to bring your car to a service, and the experts will take care of it. In most of the cases, you cannot take care of the problem by yourself.
  • Atmospheric conditions: Also, atmospheric conditions, moisture, or overnight moisture can cause the noises that come from your brake system. This is because once the moisture or dew creates it in the night if you are living in high moisture climates, this moisture can cause these noises while you are slowing down. So, all the time, this moisture will be evaporated over the day, and you will not hear these noises in general.
  • How you are using your brakes: It is also very important to ask yourself about the style of brake usage. If you are using your brakes in a very aggressive way, problems with the brake systems and noises will be very common for you. Therefore, it’s best to use your brakes in a much more gentle way.

Conclusion on brakes squeak when stopping slow

So, these are the most common reasons if you are hearing strange noises that come from your brake systems while you are stopping slow. Thus, it can be stated that if the noises are only coming from when you are stopping slow, this means these symptoms are not very bad conditions. This means you can take precautions for the problems that we explained above.

I recommend you not to drive your car with this condition and bring your car to a regular maintenance and expertise.

If you have additional comments and questions about the general problems that were explained about brake systems, you can leave them below without hesitation. Also, you can check the additional information articles about the brake systems of vehicles on this website.

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Uğur Uygun

Hello everyone, I am Uğur. I am a mechanical engineer who has experience in different R&D departments of HVAC companies. With my best friend, I decided to build this website to share out knowledge and experience. And also, I am interested in automotive. So, I am writing about automotive and automotive-related articles here. Sharing my knowledge and experiences on these topics is a very big pleasure for me. I am willing to answer all of the questions people have about these topics.

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