Knocking Noise When Braking at Low Speeds 

April 28, 2022

Checking the brake knocking noise in car repair workshop.

Whenever your brakes make a knocking noise, it is never a pleasant experience to be driving around your area. If you hear odd sounds coming from your brakes, this is a warning sign that something is wrong, and you should get it checked out by an expert. Driving about with faulty brakes is never a wise idea since you may not be able to stop in time if you do. It is essential to pay attention to the sounds that come from your brakes since they may expose some issues in your car. 

When braking, worn suspension components may make a knocking noise. Your car’s lower control arm bushings get worn and tear, causing the whole front wheel to drift back and forth while braking and accelerating. As a result, braking and going over specific bumps will both cause the knocking sound.

Why Is The Car Making A Knocking Sound When braking?

Wearing out on the front suspension components, particularly the control arm bushings, may cause a knocking noise while braking or during lesser apparent movements. The presence of other symptoms, such as a loud clattering on a rough roadway, unusual steering feel or behavior at low speeds, and pulling to one side while braking is also possible causes of the problem.

What else might be causing the brakes to thud? The most probable reason for this is that your front brake rotors are slightly out of round and will need to be maintained or wholly repaired. A small high point on the brake rotor causes the brake pads to pulsate, which is why the front brake pads vibrate incessantly.

Another problem is why my brakes make a clicking noise. If you hear a clicking noise, it is probably not coming from the brakes and instead is coming from a worn suspension component. When the bushings on sway bar links wear out, they may produce clicking noises. The turning of the spindle may produce a clicking sound if the ball joints have deteriorated. An unfastened or misaligned suspension strut may also make similar sounds.

Major Causes Of Noise While Braking At A Low Speed

The fact that you are braking at a low speed and hearing a peculiar noise should raise your suspicions. These noises have the potential to serve as alarms, alerting people to impending danger. Take the opportunity to do a soundcheck and identify the potential causes of these sounds. Throughout this article, we will go over the most common causes of these types of sounds.

Brake Pads That Have Worn Out

It is possible to have odd noises when braking due to worn-out brake pads, which is only one of many possible causes. When it comes to brake pads, graphite, iron, and copper are often used as production material, and the brake pad is formed by bonding all of these components together. Using brakes causes the brake pad to wear down until it comes into contact with the rotors. When braking at a low speed, you will begin to hear knocking sounds, which is not normal. When brake pads wear out or have been in use for a long time, replace them right away. Otherwise, you risk causing damage to other brake components or causing them to become badly affected.

Rotor Disks That Have Been Worn Out

Using cheap or low-quality brake pads that easily scratch the rotor’s surface may cause the rotor disk to wear out, as can using brakes with worn-out pads. Consequently, after a time, the surface of your rotors will no longer be flat in the same manner. When you clean your vehicle and expose the rotors to cold water while they are still hot, this may cause deformation of the rotors’ surfaces. Due to the deflection of the brake pad’s surface, you may hear noises and feel uneven vibrations while braking.

Broken Shims 

Heavily rubberized or metalized glue is used to cover the tiny gaps around the brake caliper and the brake pad to prevent excessive noise from being generated by the brakes. If the shim becomes worn, it will create a grinding noise when it comes into touch with another piece of metal. Furthermore, while stopping at low speeds, you may most likely hear a knocking sound. When doing any brake work, please make certain that they are replaced.

What Might Be Causing The Knocking Sound In The Front Wheels?

A loud knocking sound is coming from the front driver’s wheel for various factors, but the most probable culprit is a problem with the brakes, steering, or suspension. Metal-on-metal contact between the bushings may cause a knocking noise to be audible if the bushings are badly worn out or damaged.

Steps to Fix the Issues 

First and foremost, you must determine what is generating the noise your vehicle produces while braking at low speeds in order to find a solution to your problem. Your vehicle’s braking system is a critical safety component, so you will want to have any issues with it fixed as soon as possible if they are related to the brakes.

You may decide whether to fix the car or wait until something more severe occurs after determining what is generating the noise. The experienced mechanic technicians can check your vehicle’s present state, and they can advise you on whether or not it is safe to continue driving it.

Is It Possible to Prevent These Problems in the Future?

Some of our previous blog articles may have given you a heads-up on how to keep brake noise to a minimum while stopping from a low speed. Regular maintenance and inspections are the most effective method to protect your car from producing sounds and developing issues. A thorough inspection will show any brake or suspension wear, as well as whether or not your backing plates are in the proper place on your vehicle. In most cases, sounds may be avoided if the issues are dealt with promptly and properly. Set up an appointment with a mechanic if you are unsure what is generating the sounds coming from your brakes. To stay safe, it is always better to overestimate the efficiency of your brakes.