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How long can you drive your car without brake pads?
My car has been making a lot of squealing sounds, and they’re coming from the wheel area. I’m afraid that my brake pads are super low, or even totally gone. How long can you drive your car without brake pads?
Heather Bernhard · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oh, no. Stop driving your vehicle immediately! Seriously—you should never drive your car without brake pads.
Your car is two tons of moving metal and the only thing that can stop it is rotors and brake pads in good condition. If you drive without
brake pads
, you are putting yourself and everyone else on the road at risk.The more worn down your brake pads get, the harder it is to stop. You may notice that it feels like you have to push the brake pedal down just to slow down; without brake pads, your brakes don’t produce enough friction to slow down effectively.
On top of being dangerous, you’re also seriously damaging your car. For example, driving without brake pads can destroy your rotors, which is not an expense you want to deal with!
Further, that hard stopping also wears down your tires faster than usual—also an expensive fix.
MORE: How to check and add brake fluid
View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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