Hello all!

We have a 2011 Durango Crew, and after my gf went to Indy and back she said the brakes "failed" a few times. IE the pedal went to the floor with little stopping action.

I rarely drive the Durango, so I went to check the master cylinder to see if it was leaking or anything visible. I was not able to see anything on the outside of the vehicle or inside. So I decided to take her for a spin in 10" of snow!

Usually I'm cranking the music when I drive but this time I turned off the tunes to see if I could hear or notice anything out of the ordinary. I started her up and put my foot on the brake pedal and heard an air leak of some kind. No matter how long I kept my foot on the pedal it was there. Is this normal?

Long story abbreviated, I think the booster is losing vacuum and creating a hard to press pedal that feels like failure. After repeated stops and keeping my foot on the pedal I think I was able to duplicate it but can't be sure until the gf goes with me next time. Too she said the release feature after doing a remote start has been getting harder to do. I'm thinking this is related if there is an issue with the booster as she has to press hard on the pedal at times to get it to work.

Any thoughts?

Thank you,

Chris

Btw that is a blast in the snow!

 

Check the vacuum hose on the intake, if it isn't on all the way it will have your described symptoms.

 

Pull the vacuum hose from the brake booster side only, with the engine on, verify vacuum= no vacuum- disconnected or plugged line. If vacuum is present plug the line with your thumb and listen for a leak in the hose. If you still can't find it then get an automotive stethoscope and have an assistant press the brake pedal while you listen around the booster itself for leaks. If there are no exterior leaks then it's booster diaphragm failure.

 

Suggest you read this article. When the brakes on my GTO went to the floor, it was the wheel cylinders. You could have moisture in the brake fluid.
http://www.ehow.com/list_7166506_sym...e-booster.html
It gives some diagnosis tips.

 

Usually when the booste fails the pedal cannot be pushed down without a ton of effort.
STEVE

 

Thank you everyone!

I'll check tonight and get back to all of you.

Chris

 

Update

First off, thank you everyone for all the suggestions which I did utilize.

I spoke to my local dealership and after explaining my self diagnosis, they agreed that it sounds like a booster and asked if I could bring it in. The said the could get it fixed under "Goodwill" as it has less than 60k miles and is a safety issue, however they have to check it out themselves, which I understand.

It fortunately is not to the extreme of the computer issues of the Durango, however based on the fact that it's on back order( at least a month) there is a trend.

As soon as I get more info I'll pass it along. As a side note the booster is made by TRW which I have found in the past to be quite reputable.

Thanks again,

Chris

 

Dropped it off yesterday and was correct in it being a booster. It's on order and hoping to fix that and replace the rear end due to it beginning to whine. .

 

Glad it's getting fixed and thx for the updates, it will help out others with similar issues.

 

Booster came in yesterday and was installed late afternoon. They will be calling later to let me know when I can pick it up!

Chris