Vent: Our truck's brake line snapped on a busy street yesterday

We were hauling a full load from a 3 bedroom house on Elm Street around 2 PM. Traffic was heavy, and I went to hit the brakes at a red light near the intersection of 5th and Main. Pedal went straight to the floor with zero resistance. My heart jumped because I had a tight turn coming up and a van right behind me. I had to downshift hard and use the emergency brake to get us stopped maybe 20 feet past the light. Turned out the brake line had rusted through right where it connects to the caliper. Cost me $340 to get it towed to a shop on the spot, plus I had to cancel the afternoon move and refund the deposit. The mechanic said it was just one of those things that happens when you live in a salt-belt town like this. Has anyone else had a critical part fail with no warning like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade_jenkins14d ago

Just one of those things" is a cop out for skipping regular brake inspections.

quinna8914d ago

Buddy of mine didn't check his brakes for two years and ended up rear-ending a minivan at 30mph.

marywilson13d ago

Did the mechanic say anything about checking the other lines too? I had a buddy who lost his clutch line the same way a month after getting the brakes fixed, and it was on a vehicle that was only six years old. Salt belt towns just eat through anything underneath a vehicle after a few winters, it seems like you might want to get the rest inspected before the next move.