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Why is My Car Making a Squeaking Squealing Noise When I Brake


Why is my car making a squeaking squealing noise when I brake? Yes, everyone can also hear those squeaky car brakes too.

Turning up the radio may block the sound out for you but that does not fix the problem.

The top answer for why your brakes are squealing is the brake pads on your car are worn down.

If you remember when the sound first started, you likely only heard the sound every once in a while or when you were making a turn.

As the brake pads continue to wear down, the squealing continues to get louder and more constant.

So why is my car making a squeaking squealing noise when I brake? The brakes are squealing because the brake pads on all four of your tires have a small sensor on them.

It is not like the sensor that opens the door for you when you visit your local grocery store. The sensor is a little “L” shaped piece of metal that is attached to the side of the brake pads.

As your brake pads wear down, the sensor gets closer and closer to the surface of your brake rotors. After a period of time the sensor makes full contact with the brake rotor’s surface.

This is why your brakes are squealing but you should not ignore the problem because it will create an even bigger issue.

Squeaky car brakes are a sign that you need to replace the brake pads. You do not have a few weeks or months to get this done.

The further that the brake pads wear down the more problems you will have trying to stop your car at high speeds. The brake pads grip onto the brake rotor to slow and stop the car when you press down on the brake pedal.

If there is no pad left, there will be no stopping your car. Eventually the squealing will stop and you will begin to hear grinding and feel grinding when you press the brake pedal.

When this happens, you are now damaging your brake rotors. A set of brake pads cost around $25 but one, just one brake rotor can cost $150 or more.

Besides brake rotor damage, those squeaky car brakes can damage the calipers that hold the brake pads in place. This problem if not fixed, can also cause one or all of your brake lines to burst.

If that happens, well lets hope that it does not happen because you now plan on getting the brake pads replaced.

Brake pads do not last forever; they should be checked every 3,000 miles. If you do a lot of highway driving or stop and go driving, it would be a good idea to check them every 2,000 miles.

Hilly roads cause excessive brake pad wear. Following to close to other cars while driving causes extra wear on your brake pads as well.

This is because you often have to slam on the brakes when the car in front of you does something unexpected.

New brakes squealing are not your fault if you paid a reputable brake shop to repair them.

In this case, you should bring your car back to the shop so that they can be adjusted or to have a silencer installed between the brake pads.

In the end, the short answer to “why is my car making a squeaking squealing noise when I brake” is you need new brake pads.

However now that you know the affect that bad brake pads can have on your car and how much additional money you risk, you can share what you know with a friend facing the same problem.