Braking is not as effective anymore?

[ponta2147]

I'm at somewhere over 23,000 miles, still under warranty and original brake equipment and all that... but I've noticed that my brakes are behaving strangely. Basically it's taking me longer to brake, and in order to stop I have to press really hard, which then stops the car suddenly. When I try to brake gradually (aka not jerking myself and my passengers all over the place, the standard way I brake) the car does not slow down enough. My husband tried this out and said he noticed the same thing, so it's not just me randomly forgetting how to use brakes.Does this sound a) normal, b) like something I can fix/check for, or c) like something I should get looked at?I didn't think that brakes wore down that quickly, especially because I'm not an aggressive braker (aggressive acceleration is much more fun). Or maybe it's an issue with the pedal or the connection between the pedal and the brakes? As much as I love this car and learn more about it every day, it is still my first car and thus the first time I've ever dealt with any car stuff.Lamely enough, my dealership supposedly did a whatever-point inspection when they changed my oil and rotated my tires a few weeks ago, though I read the inspection sheet and pretty much none of it was actually carefully checked off aside from a few scribbles. Silly dealerships.I feel like I'm losing control of this car- between the sudden jerks when trying to gradually take off from a stop getting worse and worse (pedal replacement didn't help), and the car now refusing to properly brake gradually, I feel sometimes like I'm on a mean horse. And it's probably causing my gas mileage to suffer as well.

[Kincaid]

I just passed 20k miles w/no change in performance that I can detect.I don't know much about what this issue could be, but I'd guess there could be something wrong with the power brake booster.Wouldn't hurt to take it to the dealership and see if they'll can detect anything. Since your husband has noticed it too, it should be "noticeable" to a repair technician.

[MotoAce51]

Bleed the break lines, make sure there is nothing in the system. This would cause it to be spongey though to its not as likely. Make sure the pads are sliding on the pins freely. When we replaced the brakes on my vibe the little tabs on the pads that slide in the groove felt tight. The mechanic ground them down a hair to free them up. If they stick on the pins that could explain why you have to press hard then they slide and once they move they go all the way. Thinking about it I would start here. MAke sure it moves smoothly and freely.

[yyamad1]

It is possible at your recent trip to the dealership they managed to get some grease or contaminant on your front rotors. So it is not biting as it should. I would do a few 70mph to 10mph hard brakes and try to burn anything off your rotors and go from there.

[lovemyraffe]

It is definitely not normal. It is possible that there is a substance on the rotors, but over the past week it should have come off. Since it is still under warranty, take it back to the dealer and have them take a look at it. It is something that should be noticeable by any technician.

[star_deceiver]

Does the brake pedal feel really hard to press down? As in you push it in a little then it feels like you're standing on a brick. Or does the pedal pulse like the ABS is activating itself?Either way, it's under warranty so take it to the dealer and let them mess with it... unless you feel like breaking a nail fiddling with the connections on the ABS system or checking vacuum lines...

[Salsa Guy]

^X2 It's under warranty take it back and have them check it!

[ponta2147]

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »Does the brake pedal feel really hard to press down? As in you push it in a little then it feels like you're standing on a brick. Or does the pedal pulse like the ABS is activating itself?Either way, it's under warranty so take it to the dealer and let them mess with it... unless you feel like breaking a nail fiddling with the connections on the ABS system or checking vacuum lines... No, doesn't feel any different to press... just feels like it isn't really braking properly. Siiiiigh I guess I'll take it back to the dealership at some point.