# Suddenly mushy brakes

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [September 15, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680 "2016-09-15T18:55:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680/21 "2016-10-14T18:13:04Z")

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What’s the weather like where you are?

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**Author:** ![kenberthiaume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@kenberthiaume](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kenberthiaume)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680/22 "2016-10-14T19:12:57Z")

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Dry and warm, hasn’t rained in a month.

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**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680/23 "2016-10-14T19:42:00Z")

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> [@kenberthiaume](#):
>
> Or maybe I’m crazy?

Given all the evidence, I’m going with “crazy.”

;-]

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680/24 "2016-10-14T22:20:59Z")

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The rear drums in Corolla’s are self-adjusting I think. So it shouldn’t be necessary for a shop to have to adjust them. That’s an indication of a problem remaining. I don’t know what it is that does the self adjustment on your Corolla. On some cars it self-adjusts when you brake when backing up; others (I think this applies to my early model year Corolla) when you set the emergency brake. Do you firmly set your emergency brake routinely when parking?

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**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680/25 "2016-10-15T05:42:19Z")

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I’ll be the spoiler here . . .

Based on the described symptoms, I think it sounds more like a hydraulic problem . . . air in the system, leaking component, bad brake master, etc. . . . and less like drum brakes out of adjustment

Let’s also not forget the rear drum brakes on this car do maybe 25% of the work, versus the front brake pads and rotors

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**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/suddenly-mushy-brakes/95680/26 "2016-10-16T17:19:10Z")

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When was the last time the brake fluid was changed? Brake fluid is hydrophillic, meaning it will absorb water out of the humidity in the air. Many owner’s manuals don’t list it, but the brake fluid needs to be changed out periodically. When it gets old and contaminated, the fluid properties change and can cause soft pedal, lower boiling point, and can also freeze up. Being as this car is over 20 years old, I’m just wondering if it has ever been changed.

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