Toyota is one of the most popular car brands in the world because the company manufactures cars that are versatile and cheap to maintain.
However, just like cars from other brands, Toyota cars aren’t immune to the issue of low braking power. This can be very unpleasant to the driver and their passenger(s) as it can cause issues to the car.
What causes a low braking power in Toyota cars?
To answer this question, many things including low brake fluid and clogged or bent brake lines can cause the problem. So can worn brake pads or rotors, not to mention, the presence of air in the brake lines.
Contents
What Does Braking Power Even Mean?
In an internal combustion engine(the kind of engine found in many cars), brake power(BP) simply refers to the end output power that reaches the wheel shaft of the car, through the braking system(BS), after all the frictional losses.
The BS enables the car to slow down or come to a stop when the driver steps the brake pedal down.
Causes of Low Braking Power in Toyota
Many issues can cause low braking power in Toyota cars as you’ve seen. Let me now explain how each issue can and how to fix braking power low on Toyota due to an issue:
1. Low Brake Fluid
The brake fluid transmits the braking force from the engine to the wheels. If it’s low, the force will reduce, resulting in reduced braking power.
Solution: First, find the route course of your fluid levels dropping and fix it. It could be that the brake line that carries the fluid has tiny holes that are causing the fluid to leak. In that case, you’ll need to replace the line before topping your brake fluid back up.
2. Clogged or Bent Brake Lines
A car has four brake lines that accommodate the brake fluid. If even just one line is clogged or bent, the brake fluid will lose its efficiency and have trouble transmitting enough braking force to the wheels. This will result in low braking power for your Toyota.
Solution: If a brake line is clogged, first, find out what caused that. If it’s the solid substance from overheated and burned brake fluid, which is the most common culprit, figure out and fix the root cause of that.
Water contamination is one of the major culprits here. You see, pure brake fluid has a higher heat resistance than water. Thus, if the fluid mixes with water, its heat resistance level drops, causing it to overheat quickly and burn, leaving behind a solid substance that blocks the line.
The best thing to do here is to change your brake fluid. Note: avoid poor-quality products that do not consist of pure brake fluid. But if the line is bent, you’ll need to have it straightened by a mechanic. Many things can cause that, including an accident.
3. The Presence Of Air In the Brake Line(s)
Similarly, the air has a lower heat capacity than brake fluid. That means if it’s present in the brake line, it will overheat quickly and ignite the fluid, which will burn out and clog the line.
Solution: First find out what’s causing air to get into the brake line. The most common cause is the presence of tiny holes in the line. This can be fixed by replacing both the line and the fluid.
4. Worn Brake Pads
Brake pads are designed to work by pressing the disc rotors in the wheels, resulting in friction that causes the car to slow down or halt.
Just like in the case of disc rotors, they’ll wear out over time due to the damaging effects of friction such that the braking power reduces.
Solution: Replace your worn brake pads.
5. Worn Brake Rotors
The rotors work alongside the calipers and the brake pads to stop the wheels. When you thumb the brake pedals, the brake pads will press against the rotors resulting in the stoppage of wheels. But the friction created will wear out the rotors over time.
Solution: Replace your worn brake rotors.
What Happens When Power Brakes Go Out?
Modern cars come with a convenient and safety feature known as the power brake system. It’s an add-on to the car’s brake system that serves as a brake booster.
The technology increases the force that is applied to the master cylinder when you press the brake pedal. Losing this functionality means you’d have to step harder on the pedal to slow down or halt the car.
Conclusion
Like other cars, Toyota cars are prone to losing braking power such that the car cannot slow down or stop efficiently. It can be blamed on a lot of things including low brake fluid, clogged or bent brake lines, the presence of air in the brake lines, and worn brake pads alongside rotors.
Fortunately, you can restore the braking power of your Toyota vehicle by fixing these issues as explained above.
