Your brake pedal just went to the floor. Or it's soft and barely slowing you down. Either way, you have a few seconds to make good decisions. Here is what to do.
> **Quick Answer:** Pump the brakes repeatedly to build pressure, downshift to slow the engine, use the emergency brake gradually, and steer toward an uphill slope or safe barrier to stop. Do not panic-steer. Get off the road as quickly as you safely can, then call for a tow. Do not drive the car again until a mechanic diagnoses and repairs the brake system.
## What To Do
1. **Stay off the panic.** A brake failure is survivable if you keep your hands on the wheel and your head clear. Sudden jerking or overcorrecting will cause a crash before your brakes do.
2. **Pump the brake pedal hard and fast.** On older vehicles with drum brakes or even some disc brake setups, rapid pumping can rebuild hydraulic pressure. Do it immediately. Ten to fifteen short, firm pumps in quick succession. If you feel any resistance return, use it.
3. **Downshift aggressively.** If you drive a manual, drop gears fast: fourth to third, third to second. If you drive an automatic, use the paddle shifters, the manual mode selector, or drop the gear selector to a lower range. Engine braking is real. It will slow you down without touching the brake system.
4. **Use your emergency brake, but do it gradually.** The parking or emergency brake works on a separate cable system from your hydraulic brakes. Pull it or press it slowly and steadily. Do not yank it hard at speed. A hard yank can lock the rear wheels, spin the car, and make everything worse. Slow, steady pressure buys you speed reduction without losing control.
5. **Get off the road.** Steer toward the right shoulder immediately. An uphill grade is ideal because the incline helps kill speed naturally. A gravel shoulder creates rolling resistance. If you are approaching a red light or intersection, use the horn, flash your lights, and ease toward the shoulder. Do not try to thread through traffic.
6. **Use the environment if you have no other option.** Guardrails, grassy medians, shallow ditches, and brush all absorb energy. A slow scrape against a barrier is far better than a high-speed T-bone at an intersection. This is a last resort, but it is a legitimate one.
7. **Shut the engine off only after you have slowed significantly.** Killing the engine before you are nearly stopped removes power steering on many vehicles, making the wheel very hard to turn. Wait until you are under 10 mph, then shut it off.
8. **Get everyone out of the car and away from traffic.** Once stopped, put the car in park or first gear, set the emergency brake, and move everyone behind a guardrail or well off the road surface. [If you broke down with kids in the car, prioritize their exit first.](/car-broke-down-with-kids-in-car-safety-steps/)
9. **Call a tow truck.** The car cannot be driven. Total brake failure means a hydraulic line burst, a master cylinder failed, or the fluid is gone. Any of those require a shop, not a patch job on the side of the road. [If you experience brake failure on a highway with no good exit nearby, the steps for getting to safety are similar to other highway emergencies.](/car-overheating-on-freeway-no-exit-nearby-what-to-do/)
*Photo: Pexels*
## What It Might Cost
Brake repair after a failure depends on the cause. A brake line replacement runs $150 to $400. A master cylinder is $300 to $600 parts and labor. If you lost fluid and the calipers or rotors are also damaged, you are looking at $600 to $1,200 or more. Towing the car to the shop typically costs $75 to $175 for a local tow, more in high-cost metros.
*Photo: Pexels*
## Stay Safe
- Turn your hazard lights on the moment you feel the brakes fail. Leave them on until you are stopped.
- Do not get out of the car on the highway until you are fully stopped and positioned off the travel lane.
- If you stop on a bridge or overpass, stay inside the vehicle with your seatbelt on until help arrives. [Bridges create specific hazards for breakdowns](/car-broke-down-on-bridge-what-to-do/) that make standing outside more dangerous.
- Never attempt to drive the car to a shop after a brake failure, even if the pedal feels like it came back. Partial pressure in a failing system can disappear again at the worst possible moment.
- At night or in low visibility, set road flares or use your phone's flashlight to signal oncoming traffic. [A highway shoulder is a dangerous place to wait](/car-died-on-highway-shoulder-safe-to-wait-for-tow/) and you want drivers to see you from a distance.
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Brake Failure While Driving: What to Do
Photo: Pexels