What to do if your brakes fail

What to do if your brakes fail

• Shift into a lower gear, release the clutch pedal (for manual transmissions) and apply the emergency brake.
• If your automobile has an automatic transmission, apply the emergency brake and move the gear lever into the low range position.
• Be Advised: This action can potentially cause damage to the emergency brake and to the transmission, but under the circumstances of brake failure, there is no better choice.

If your brakes become wet, you can dry them by:

• Drive the vehicle a short distance
• Apply light pressure to the brake pedal.
• The heat generated by the friction of the brakes against the brake drum will evaporate the water from the brake linings.
• To prevent excessive wear on brakes when moving down a long hill or steep grade, use a lower gear instead of the brake pedal to control speed. Shift to the lower gear at the top of the hill, before you descend.

What to do during a tire blowout

What to do during a tire blowout

• The goal in any rapid loss of tire pressure or "blowout" is to keep the vehicle balanced and controllable. Do not panic. Any over-reaction by the driver -- including slamming on the brakes or abruptly removing your foot from the accelerator -- can result in a loss of vehicle control.
• In any blowout situation, it's most important to first remember the 2 things you should NOT do:
• Do not step on the brake. As instinctive as it may be, it's the worst mistake you can make in any tire blowout situation. Applying the brakes will cause an even greater imbalance on the vehicle's stability.
• Do not abruptly release your foot from the accelerator. This is the second worst mistake you can make. Rapidly releasing the accelerator causes the vehicle to transfer more of its weight from the rear tires to the front tires. With a flat tire, this can lead to loss of control of the vehicle.
• Instead, in any blowout situation, you should follow these 3 steps:
• Gradually release the accelerator .
• Correct the steering as necessary to stabilize your vehicle and regain control. Look where you want the vehicle to go and steer in that direction.
• Once your vehicle has stabilized, continue to slow down and pull off the road where and when you judge it's safe to do so.
• Remember, no matter which tire blows out -- front or back -- the do's and don'ts for safely maintaining control of your vehicle are exactly the same. The only difference between a front and rear tire blowout is that you will feel the force of a front blowout more in the vehicle's steering, while you'll feel a rear blowout more in the seat or body of the vehicle.