What to do if your brakes fail?

[stutaeng]

Once upon a time my mechanic reworked something on my 1500 Silverado and left the brake hose too relaxed, rubbing on the inner side of the wheel and melting it. I had just left work, and was able to stop at the first stop after having pedal go to the floor. I was able to pull into into a Home Depot and saw a bunch of brake fluid on the front wheel. I turned around and went back to the work parking lot and called my mechanic. I was able to use the e-brake and going really slow. I don't recall being in a big panic, probably because I was younger then, LOL.


Another more recent time I lost brake-assist on my K3500 when the the power steering pump failed (hydroboost). I pulled over and debated what to do, then decided I was able to limp home by going really slow, standing on the brakes and using the e-brakes. I think I also downshifted to "1"? I was close to home and it was at the school 20 MPH zone (but no school in my way), so that worked in my favor, but was certainly not fun, especially because I had like 3000 lb of busted concrete I was taking to the landfill.


I don't think these guys had "that" much time to react. But not sure what to say on their case though: No e-brakes, can't downshift (huh?), going kinda-fast on a busy city street... How did the engine get stuck revved up? I just feel bad for that person getting rear ended.

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What are your thoughts on this? Have you had a brake failure? What did you do?

E-brakes are a must on any vehicle driven on the street! Killing the engine seems like the wisest thing to do in a panic, hindsight being 20-20.

Edit: I didn't watch all of the videos and don't know all of the details, just fast-forwarded thru most of it.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

I saw that and he recommends using the harness. I want to discourage using a harness without a HANS device. That's what killed Dale Sr. You can live with a smashed face.

 

[Joe Dirte]

I bought a $100 88 Mazda b2200 (pre ranger) n drove it home with no brakes. Took highway and luckily it was a 5spd. Didn't know brakes were out til I got off highway onto US 36. Blew thru stop sign. Comin up to intersection I grabbed e brake and nothin. Just kept Rollin. Was lucky there wasn't much traffic. Rest of way I just downshifted cuz there were no stop signs rest of way home. Some dumb luck all my brake failures since have been while movin the vehicles around in driveway.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

1300 hp with an automatic and a sticky throttle and no brakes and no e-brake is gonna be about impossible to stop. Maybe shove it in reverse? Park? Shut it off and coast?

 

[stutaeng]

1300 hp with an automatic and a sticky throttle and no brakes and no e-brake is gonna be about impossible to stop. Maybe shove it in reverse? Park? Shut it off and coast?

He put it in Park is what Uncle Tony said. The driver stated on the comments on the YT video that the on that shifter you can't down shift...
"Car had a B&M ratchet shifter, once I shifted up thru the gears you can’t downshift till you put it in park"

I'm not sure what that means...Doesn't make sense to me. So it's like a one-way device that resets at Park?

So I guess he could of put it in "1" as the next step? Dunno.

 

[Frank Enstein]

He should have read the shifter instructions. B&M doesn't make a shifter like that.

 

[xXxPARAGONxXx]

No more tuning cars after he gets sued. He will be broke for life. He knew the throttle was sticky and still drove it, causing a crash. Definition of negligence.

 

[RichLo]

That youtuber is an idiot, he should have never shown the full video. There is more than enough in there for a lawyer to sue both of those guys over, he is completely throwing his 'buddy' under the bus just for a viral video. If the guy has $200k to stick into a malfunctioning car and not enough sense to build it correctly he has plenty for a $500k+ lawsuit. Without that video he could have played dumb and claimed he just lost the brakes and probably just been out a car, I bet there will be a followup video in the coming weeks with a lawsuit update. How much of the youtube money do you think he will pay is buddy to help with lawyer fees? I bet $0.

 

[Pinger]

What happened there proves what is said time and time again on brake threads ie, use them hard and sparingly. That guy rode them continually trying to hold back a monster motor trying to run at 2200 rpm (massive torque there) and cooked them.

Lap belt only - when the full harnesses were there but no air bags compounds the stupidity. With the harnesses on they'd have stepped out of that unharmed - mild foot injuries at worst.

 

[618 Syndicate]

That guy crashed because he panicked. Had plenty of room to kill the motor and curb it if he had no brakes. I couldn't care less about any injuries he caused himself, stupid hurts. I do think he should be nailed to the wall for the damage he caused. If he'd hit anyone I cared about I would have seen to it that he got sued out of existence.