My friend’s 1991 Chrysler is seldom driven. Several months ago she drove the car in a driving rainstorm at highway speeds. About an hour into the drive, the front end developed a vibration that she said felt as though a tire was bad or out of balance (tires appear fine). The shaking worsened when the brakes were applied. She did not feel much shaking/vibration at speeds lower than 30. Since then, the car has driven fine for short, in-town errands. Fast forward to the holidays … the car had been sitting for several weeks – the weather was muggy and very damp during this time. She started the car and tried to back it from the garage, but the car would not move. She gave it gas, but it felt as though the brake was on. Finally, after gassing it more frequently, the car backed up and made a sound like something was being run over. After that, the car drove forward and reverse with no trouble. Do you think this is a brake issue? Maybe the brake is sticking? Could the water have caused this problem? What do you think needs to be done to repair? I ask because she is older and lives in a small town – her mechanic/repair options are limited, as is her money. Thanks and Happy New Year – I appreciate your help
My guess is that she has a brake caliper sticking. In that case the caliper has to be replaced and probably the rotor is warped also and needs replacing.