Brakes Failing? We Tow the Car to a Brake Shop

Grinding usually means the pads are worn through and metal is cutting into the rotor. The car may still stop, but distances grow and rotor damage gets worse with every mile. Some drivers risk a short, slow trip on quiet streets; on I-70 or I-270 it makes little sense. If the pedal also feels soft or a warning lamp is lit, do not drive the car at all.

On a flatbed the car sits entirely on the deck, so the condition of its brakes, axles and transmission doesn't matter during the trip. That avoids dragging a locked caliper and keeps an all-wheel-drive system from being strained. Our trucks are all flatbed carriers, so this is simply how every repair tow goes. The flatbed towing page has more detail.

A seized caliper or a parking brake frozen in place can lock a wheel solid. The driver can usually winch the car slowly up the deck, and wheel dollies help when it has to be repositioned in a tight spot first. Mention the locked wheel up front; it changes how the driver approaches the load, and expect the loading to take a little longer than usual.

We do not price repairs. The shop inspects the system, measures pad and rotor wear and gives you a written estimate before doing any work. Brake jobs vary widely: one axle of pads is a very different job from new lines, calipers and an ABS module. You approve the work directly with the shop. The tow is priced separately from our published card on the rates page.

Treat it as one. A pedal that feels spongy, or sinks under steady pressure at a stoplight, usually points to air in the lines, a fluid leak or a failing master cylinder. Any of those can get worse without warning. Pull off somewhere safe, set the parking brake and call for a tow rather than trying to limp home or to the shop.

Yes. The destination is up to you: a dealer service department, your neighborhood mechanic or one of the independent partner shops we can suggest. We only need the shop's name and address. Partner shops are separate businesses with their own pricing and policies. If you change your mind before the car is loaded, just tell the driver.

Salt and slush coat brake lines, caliper brackets and rotor edges all winter, and over a few seasons that turns into rust. Steel lines can corrode until they leak, and rusted slide pins make calipers stick. Rinsing the underside after storms helps, and many drivers have the brakes checked each spring. A shop can tell you whether lines or hardware are getting thin before they fail.