Why Are My Brakes Grinding?

You’re enjoying your day driving through Round Rock, and you hit the brake pedal as you come upon a red light. You hear a grinding noise coming from what sounds like the area of your right front tire. The grinding noise gets louder as your car, truck, or SUV comes to a stop. Your first thought is, “Oh no”, followed by, “Why are my brakes grinding?”

While it may be tempting to put off a brake repair until a more convenient time, you never want to do that when you have brakes grinding. The National Highway Safety Administration determined that faulty brakes could be a factor in as many as one-fourth (25%) of all road accidents. Accidents at higher speeds cause more damage and injuries compared to ones at lower speeds.

So, you need to make a service appointment ASAP for your brakes making a grinding noise. Meanwhile, let’s run through some common causes for brake grinding. 

Why Are My Brakes Grinding When Stopping?

First, when do you notice your brakes making grinding noises? Do they make a noise when you speed up or coast? Are the brakes grinding when stopping? 

If you notice your brakes grinding when stopping, it could be for a few different reasons. This is probably the most common time when you’ll hear brakes grinding.

• If you hear your brakes making a grinding noise as you’re slowing or stopping normally, your brake pads are probably the culprit. Brake pads naturally lose their thickness over time, a term called “brake scrubbing.” As the pads wear down further, you’ll hear a grinding noise. Brakes grinding is supposed to happen when the brake pads get this low because it’s your sign to get them replaced.
• If you hear a sharper grinding noise, it could be the sound of your brake disc and calipers. This may also cause a rumble or vibration in your brake pedal. This may require a brake pad replacement as well as a disc or rotor replacement.
• If you hear brakes grinding when stopping at full force, it could be your Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). Your ABS will activate if you apply the full brakes, and it may even cause vibrations in the pedal. 

No matter what the cause, we recommend you make a service appointment ASAP for when your brakes are making a grinding noise.

Brakes Grinding When Driving

If your brakes are making a grinding noise when you are driving throughout Leander, this could happen due to rocks and debris bouncing off the caliper and rotor. This is a relatively easy repair. However, you must resolve this issue sooner rather than later to prevent more debris from accumulating, which can cause even more damage. 

You can try to remove the debris yourself if you’re experienced with car repairs. But, most Austin drivers prefer to leave the job to our service department. You can also schedule an inspection while you’re here to resolve your brakes grinding for good.

Schedule Your Brake Service With Covert Buick GMC Austin

Looking for a final answer to the question, “Why are my brakes grinding?” Contact us, call (512) 910-4708, or schedule a service appointment with our team. We’re just a short drive from Cedar Park. If you want to save some cash on your next car repair, look over our brake service coupons to see what we’ve got.