Why Do My Car Brakes Squeak?

Let’s stop that high pitch sound from happening!

Image by Author

Driving to work this morning I slowed down to stop at the stop sign and heard the sound nobody ever enjoys… “Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak”

I hadn’t heard it in a long time so I wanted to figure out why it even happens as normally it is happening to other cars and never my own.

Why do brakes squeak?

Brakes can squeak for a variety of reasons, including [1][2][3]

• worn brake pads
• debris on the surface of the pads or rotors
• lack of lubrication at contact points between shoes and drums
• the type of brake pad material used.

What is the most common reason?

The most common cause of squeaky brakes is worn or damaged brakes [4][5][6].

Photo by Benjamin Brunner on Unsplash

How do I fix it?

To fix squeaky brakes, you may need to do one of the following: [1]

• apply grease to specific contact points on the calipers
• install shims