One of the most important parts of your car is your brakes. This is the item that helps you stop and gives you the ability to avoid trouble by slowing down. If you don’t have good brakes on your vehicle you’re going to run into trouble on the road and put yourself and others in danger. Toyota has taken steps to add items to your vehicle to make sure you can know your brakes are in good working order to allow you to have the stopping power you need on the road.
Here are four ways that Toyota offers you the ability to know your brakes need to be serviced:
Brake Light – This is an indicator that’s in your face and allows you to know that your brakes need to be serviced by a technician. This is not a light you want to ignore when you’re driving. Before you head to a Toyota dealership to have your brakes checked you need to make sure your parking brake has been released. If this fixes the problem than you’re ok, but if the brake light stays on, you need to head to a dealer and have yours checked.
Need for Increased Stopping Time – If you notice you need to stop sooner than you did in the past you need to have your brakes checked. When it feels like it takes longer to pull your vehicle to a complete stop you are putting yourself and others in danger because of the need for longer distances to stop which could be a serious problem if you run into the need to stop suddenly on a busy road. If this happens to you, come in and see a Toyota technician today and let them take a look at your brakes.
Worn Pads – Because you need to take your Toyota vehicle in for service on a regular basis, you should ask to have your brakes checked and receive information as to how many miles they are expected to last. Stick to a schedule of changing your brake pads when needed so that you won’t put yourself and others in danger. The technician that checks your pads can give you the percentage that your brakes are worn and tell you approximately how many miles they are expected to continue to last before they need to be replaced or become unsafe.
Sound Indicators – Most brake pads are equipped with sensors that sound off with a loud, high-pitched squealing sound when they pads are too worn. This is a sound you can hear inside the vehicle and this is an indication you need to take your car in to have the pads replaced. If you ignore this you may hear a grinding noise which indicates the metal indicator is digging into the rotors of your vehicle which will then cost you more to have the rotors replaced as well as the brake pads themselves. If you come in when you first hear the noise, you can save yourself some money because most of the time the rotors won’t need to be replaced.
If you experience any of these symptoms in your Toyota vehicle, you need to head to your nearest dealership to let them take a look at your brakes and help resolve the problem. Your brakes are the first line of defense for you against a potential collision and the best tool you have to keep yourself and your passengers safe on the road. Don’t ignore your brakes, and they will take care of you and help you have the driving experience you want.
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