My front right brake is braking now, even when I don’t have the brake pressed. Not all the time, but after the car has been driving for a while (maybe 15 mins).
Sometimes it gets so bad that smoke rises from the front right wheel area. In fact, that’s how I knew which wheel was having the problem. Before the smoke appeared, I could feel that something was holding back the car, even when I was not pressing the brake. It gradually grew worse until the other day, I saw the smoke… and obviously smelled it.
What could be causing this? I had new front brake pads put on, and the rotors turned, 8000 miles ago.
1993 Chrysler New Yorker
I have an hour commute(one way) every day.
Also, the pedal is giving me a different response when this is happening. If I feel the car is doing the braking thing (i.e. braking when it shouldn’t), and I apply the brakes only slightly, it feels very firm and hard to press down on the brake pedal. The car does slow. But when the braking is normal, the brake pedal travels farther at the beginning of travel, and is easier to apply.
Also, when the brakes are acting up, it slows the car down appropriately from pretty much any speed, but when I get to about 15 mph, it continues being very hard to press (the pedal), but the braking effect is reduced, and it is harder to stop.
There could be a stuck piston in the right front caliper, or a damaged hose which is not allowing the brake to release.
Either way this is potentially dangerous, and you should take the car to a mechanic ASAP. If the brakes get hot enough to smoke you are probably boiling the brake fluid, which is not good.
The brakes need immediate attention.
I second what mcparadise said. In addition if you get your brake fluid changed every 3 years you’re less likely to have this kind of trouble.
Could be a sticky caliper or a defective brake hose. After a decade or two the inner part of brake hoses sometimes deteriorates and starts to act like a check valve. It passes brake fluid to the brakes, but doesn’t let it flow back.
You’ll be wanting to get this fixed as it will go through your new brake pads and maybe the rotor as well pretty quickly. Not to mention that brakes hot enough to smoke aren’t a normal suspension component and might fail or might cause something else to fail.