Hey guys, on rare occasion when i start my car in the morning and put it in reverse, right before the durango begins to go backwards i will feel a slight thump. like the brakes are still holding on, then as i begin to drive forward and brake, it seems the brakes are very sensitive. i will barely apply pressure to the brake pedal and it seems like the brakes are applying too much pressure. i am going 5 mph down my street. rolling pretty much and when i barely touch the pedal the front wheels will lock up and screech. i am very confused as to what the problem could be. it goes away after a while. and like i said happens rarely but it happens. seems to happen after it rains or its very cold outside. any thoughts??

thanks.

 

M/W good to hear from you my friend.... thought you dropped off the face of the earth too.

Just a quick summary I would tend to say moisture on the rotors since you say it goes away after a while...that is the brakes getting used and the condensation burning off.

The brakes getting sensitive is a stumper but lets work through and eliminate the usual suspects.

1. When was the last time the brake system was flushed and old fluid was removed/replaced? It does build up moisture time and needs to be flushed

2. Have you had any recent brake work done?

3. Are you using parking brake?

 

I have the same touchy brake issue. Rotors rust pretty easily and cause touchy brakes on the first stop. After the first stop the sensitive braking issue goes away since the surface rust is removed.

 

I also had the same issue but only on the rear brakes suddenly locking up. Only when it's very cold or raining outside too, then after a few stops it fixes itself. It's basically what magic and green said, moisture on the rotors causes them to surface rust a little bit and that rust will grab your brake pads like crazy. But it's still a good idea to do what magic suggested and flush out the brake system is you haven't in a few years.

 

exactly what is happening, happens on all cars

 

ha hey! yea ive been busy lately.

as for the brakes, i changed my front and rear brakes about 6 months ago. with 102,000 miles to my knowledge i have never had the brake fluid flushed lol.

and thats interesting i never thought about the rust

 

102k....Get the fluid flushed. Note mileage and date. This will give you a good baseline. If you have it done professionally.....

I VERY STRONGLY recommend against PEPBOYS!!!

 

Well every shop is different, it all depends on the employees you have working there. I've personally had the best luck with the small independent shops because they will personally get to know you quickly and most of them usually don't wish to do you wrong. The bigger shops just want your car in and out as fast as they can to get to the next guy in line and don't care about their rep.

 

I'm leaning towards the rusty rotors too. Do a few hard stops on a deserted street to get rid of the rust and you're good to go.

 

But again....at 102+K I recommend getting the fluid flushed and replaced.