Five Brake Problems You Shouldn't Ignore
FixMyCar highlights some tell-tale signs that your brakes need repairing.
Book a brake repair nowEllie Dyer-Brown
Monday August 04 2025
4 min read
Brakes are made of many moving parts, including discs, pads, cables and hydraulics. These components will need replacing sooner or later - but how can you tell it's time for a trip to the garage? Some signs are obvious, while others are more subtle. That's where this guide comes in, covering five brake problems you should never ignore.
1. Screeching or grinding sound while braking
The most common cause of squeaking or screeching is worn brake pads. When you press the pedal, the pad clamps onto the disc, creating friction that wears away at the components. Eventually, they become so thin that they need replacing.
If you don’t get your brake pads changed when needed, you could end up causing damage to the discs, which are more expensive to replace.
Generally, brake pads need replacing every 30,000 to 70,000 miles.
2. Car pulls to the side while braking
If your car pulls to one side, especially when braking, this suggests that a component - often one of the callipers - is sticking or that your brakes are worn unevenly. Uneven wear is a common symptom of wheel misalignment.
Find out more about wheel alignment here.
In either case, you should have your brakes inspected to resolve the problem quickly. Your car pulling in an unwanted direction is dangerous for you and other drivers on the road.
3. Brake pedal travel gets longer
You shouldn’t have to push your brake pedal to the floor to get results. If you notice that it needs pushing down further than usual or moves with less resistance, this could indicate several problems.
Leak from brake line or calliper
If there is a brake fluid leak in your car, the brake system will undergo a loss of pressure, and you may have to push the pedal to the floor. This guide explains how to diagnose car fluid leaks.
Faulty or leaking master cylinder
Another cause could be that the master cylinder - which usually controls brake pressure - is allowing fluid to bypass seals internally. If it's faulty, the brake system will either be less powerful or won’t work.
Find out more about brake components and how they work in this guide.
Air in brake lines
Air, unlike brake fluid, is compressible, which means that any air in your brake lines will make it difficult to get a consistent braking feel.
4. Vibrating or pulsing brake pedal
Warping is the likely culprit of a brake pedal that feels unusual underfoot. The chances are, you probably have a distorted disc.
Distortions are common on older cars, and they occur because brake discs have to withstand such a tremendous amount of heat from friction. Warping seems to suggest that the brake discs become unstraight, but this is not the case; their surface becomes uneven, causing the car and foot pedal to feel jittery when the brakes are applied.
If your brake pedal vibrates or judders underfoot, you may need to book a brake disc replacement.
5. Handbrake pulls up higher than usual
When you apply the handbrake, the lever pulls a cable that squeezes the rear brake pads onto the discs. If the lever lifts higher than usual, there is an issue with the cable or the rear brakes.
It's common for the cable to become stretched over time, requiring it to be tightened. However, sometimes, it can also snap, in which case it needs replacing.
You can determine which part is to blame by paying attention to how your brakes feel while driving. You'd expect to see additional symptoms if the problem was the rear brakes rather than the cable.
The handbrake is an important safety feature, so you should get it tightened or repaired as soon as possible.
How much do brake repairs cost?
Brake repairs cost £157.98 on average when you use FixMyCar. Below, you can see the average brake repair costs broken down by some of the most popular car makes.
| Car make | Average brake repair price |
|---|---|
| Audi | £129.25 |
| BMW | £136.34 |
| Citroen | £124.10 |
| Ford | £180 |
| Kia | £143.65 |
| MINI | £231.06 |
| Mercedes | £162.07 |
| Nissan | £141.28 |
| Peugeot | £122.92 |
| Renault | £138.69 |
| Toyota | £147.92 |
| Vauxhall | £142.22 |
| Volkswagen | £149.13 |
Have you noticed one of the above problems with your brakes? Whether you want to investigate with a diagnostic test or book a repair, FixMyCar can help you find the right garage at the right price.
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Ellie is FixMyCar's Content Manager. She has over three years of experience writing about cars and regularly collaborates with automotive experts to provide trustworthy advice for drivers that is easy understand. Her work has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, iNews, The Daily Express and The Sun. She has a BA in English literature and an MA in creative writing from Durham University. Outside of work, Ellie follows F1 and eagerly awaits Ferrari's next era of dominance in the sport. She drives a Suzuki Swift.