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      Your concern might be complex to diagnose and may require additional equipment to pinpoint the cause. In this case, you'll receive Digital Inspection results plus a quote to perform deeper diagnostic/test procedures.
      Home / Symptoms / Squealing Noise

      Hey, Why Is My Car Squealing When I Drive?

      The squealing noise is caused by the following:

      • Faulty axle seal
      • Stuck brake caliper
      • Heat-cracked rotors
      • Worn-out brake pads
      • Bent brake rotors
      • Low-quality brake pads
      If you are short on time and want to fast-track the process to professional help, click
      Four common causes for a squealing noise from the vehicle and their related parts.
      Do you hear a Squealing noise from your car when driving? When the car makes noise, it is essential to find the cause and fix it. Is the noise audible when you accelerate? Does it only occur when you turn your air conditioning or defroster on? Additional clues include hearing the squeal when driving at low speeds near a concrete wall, and the noise goes away when you apply your brakes. Paying attention to your car and sharing these details with your trusted mechanic saves you money when getting the proper fix.

      Is Your Car Making A Squealing Noise While Driving

      The squealing is caused by stuck partially-applied brakes or worn-out brake linings. The linings are designed to squeal over time as if saying "replace us" to the motorist. But there might be alternative common causes.

      The most common causes for a car squealing are:

      • Faulty axle seal: A faulty axle seal can cause squealing noises by allowing lubricant to leak out, leading to inadequate lubrication of axle components. This can increase friction between metal parts, causing squealing sounds.
      • Stuck brake caliper: A stuck brake caliper can cause squealing noises due to the constant friction between the brake pads and the rotor. When a caliper gets stuck, it fails to retract properly, keeping the brake pads in constant contact.
      • Heat-cracked rotors: When rotors are subjected to excessive heat, they can develop cracks on their surface. These cracks can create uneven wear on the brake pads, leading to squealing noises.
      • Worn-out brake pads: Worn-out brake pads can cause squealing noises due to the wear indicators built into the pads. As brake pads wear down, these indicators, usually small metal tabs will purposefully start screeching, yelling that you need to change them.
      • Bent brake rotors: When a rotor is bent, the distance between the rotor and the brake pads fluctuates, causing the pads to touch the rotor unevenly. This uneven contact can lead to vibrations and squealing noises.
      • Low-quality brake pads: Low-quality brake pads can cause squealing noises due to their composition and lack of effective noise-reducing features. These pads may be made from inferior materials that produce more friction and noise.

      Brake rotors, ball joints, pads, calipers, and other brake system parts are crucial to your safety. When discussing with a mechanic, it's common to describe the sound as a squealing brake or squeaking brake sound.

      You can do a quick inspection of your own by checking your vehicle's wheels to see if they have an open-type design. In some cases, you may see the brake wear indicator, which is the culprit of making a brake squealing and squeaking sound that only ceases when pressing the brake pedal.

      Let's Get To The Bottom Of It!

      Are your car's brake pads old?

      The brake lining wear indicator is the most common reason why cars make squealing noises. This part purposely makes these types of noises to indicate to the driver that the brake linings are too thin and worn. At this point, replacing the pads with new ones is better.

      Are you noticing steering wheel vibrations?

      Commonly, damaged brake rotors can render squealing noises in a car. As well as making squeaking noises, this problem can cause the car's steering wheel to vibrate slightly.

      Do you notice leak spots behind the vehicle?

      An axle seal leak can produce squealing noises in a car. This crack occurs because of built-up pressure from clogged vents or seals that fails due to bearing or axle wear. Additionally, built-up motor oil on the rotor surface, a bad wheel bearing seeping grease into the braking surface, or rear brake shoes can add to the factor.

      Is your car braking on its own without you pressing the brake pedal?

      Sometimes, a car can have partially-applied drum brakes and a sticking caliper. As a result, the car lightly brakes even if you're not pressing the brake pedal.

      Are you using low-grade brake pads?

      Your car's rotors might be having a few heat-caused cracks, which commonly accompany squealing noises. Anything that can cause rotors to overheat can push for this issue, which occurs more often on cheap brake pads.

      Do you commonly drive over dusty terrain?

      Squeaky and squealing brakes can be a sign of worn pads, brake dust, faulty brake material, or in some cases, even aftermarket brake pads.

      Find Professional Help

      Please select your vehicle's brand and location so we can locate the best professional help for you
      If you are a shop owner and sick of business directories that are based on the cost of repair, AutoTechIQ is for you. If your customers receive Digital Inspection results then AutoTechIQ is definitely for you. Check out the certification page or how to rank in your area.

      Vehicle Health Inspection Proof

      Explore the following typical inspection results that show a potential cause for the symptom and select the one you believe is similar to your vehicle's issue.

      • Axle seal leaking
      • Brake caliper noise
      • Heat cracked rotors
      • Brake pad wear indicator
      • Damaged brake rotors
      • Cheap brake pads
      Axle seal leaking

      The image shows a failed axle seal leaking grease on the brake linings and the backing plate of the wheel. This car needs the contaminated ceramic pad replaced and the grease leak corrected.

      While doing the Vehicle Health Inspection, the mechanic noticed leaking grease on the vehicle's brakes. This damage occurs because of built-up pressure from a clogged vent or a loose seal that fails. These issues commonly develop due to bearing or axle wear.

      Besides making noise, this issue might vibrate the car's steering system or pulsate the brake pedal. You might feel a burning oil or rotten egg smell when you use the brakes during traffic.

      While the vehicle's brakes may still work, they'll underperform. Sometimes, a greasy brake lining causes the wheel to lock up at low speeds or in loose gravel. A quick way to differentiate grease from brake fluid is to see if it rinses off with water; grease won't, but brake fluid will.

      A complete brake system evaluation needs to happen. Then, the mechanic needs to repair the brake system and make it work efficiently for everyone's safety; this includes not reusing greasy brake linings.

      Does the issue look like this? if not accessible your shop will document it

      Typical Makes

      That need Squealing Noise significantly more often than average vehicle makes

      • Chevrolet
      • GMC
      • Toyota
      • Ford
      • Dodge
      • Make: Chevrolet
      • Model: Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado 1500 1/2 Ton, Suburban HD
      • Brake Linings, Brake Rotor, Brake Calipers, Wheel Bearing & Hub Assembly
      • Is this the make you are driving?
      Brake rotors

      Typical Fixes to Address the Cause(s)

      The following chapters bases themselves on experiences from our auto repair shop; we'll describe related problems' causes and fixes.

      • "Brake Pad Replacement" fixes "Brake Pad Wear Indicator"

        • Brake Lining Replacement

        • Brake Lining Wear Sensors Replaced

        • Brake Rotor Replacement

          Brake Lining Replacement
          Brake caliper replacement
          Brake System Fluid Exchange
          Brake System Fluid Flush

        • Brake caliper replacement

          Axle Seal Replacement
          Brake Pad Replacement
          Brake Rotor Replacement
          Brake Shoe Replacement
          Wheel bearing replacement
          Rotor replacement
          Wheel speed sensor replacement
          Brake hose replacement
          Emergency brake cable replacement
          Brake fluid replacement
          Brake pad slides cleaned and lubed
          Brake caliper slides cleaned and lubed
          Brake line replacement
          Wheel cylinder replacement
          Brake fluid flush
          drum replacement
          Resurface drums
          Resurface rotors
          Brake cable replacement
          Brake rotors replacement
          Brake drum replacement
          Hand torque wheel lug nuts in a star pattern
          Brake hardware replacement

        • Brake System Fluid Exchange

        • Brake System Fluid Flush

        • Brake Shoe Replacement

        • Wheel bearing replacement

          Brake Pad Replacement
          Brake caliper replacement
          Brake Shoe Replacement
          Tire replacement
          Rotor replacement
          Brake hose replacement
          Wheel cylinder replacement
          Brake fluid flush
          drum replacement
          Resurface drums
          Resurface rotors
          Brake cable replacement

        • Brake fluid exchange

        • Rotor replacement

          Brake Rotor Replacement

        • Wheel bearing repack

        • Brake hose replacement

          Axle Seal Replacement
          Brake Pad Replacement
          Brake Rotor Replacement
          Brake caliper replacement
          Brake Shoe Replacement
          Wheel speed sensor replacement
          Wiring harness repair or replacement
          Anti-lock brake module replacement
          Emergency brake cable replacement
          Brake fluid replacement
          Brake pad slides cleaned and lubed
          Brake caliper slides cleaned and lubed
          Brake line replacement
          Wheel cylinder replacement
          Brake drum replacement
          Brake hardware replacement
          Anti-lock brake motor replacement
          Brake system flush

        • Wheel cylinder replacement

        • Brake fluid flush

        • drum replacement

        • Resurface drums

        • Resurface rotors

        • Brake cable replacement

        • Brake shoes replacement

          Brake Pad Replacement
          Brake caliper replacement
          Wheel bearing replacement
          Rotor replacement
          Brake hose replacement
          Wheel cylinder replacement
          Brake fluid flush
          drum replacement
          Resurface drums
          Resurface rotors
          Brake cable replacement
          brake pads replaced

        • Brake rotors replacement

          Brake Pad Replacement
          Brake caliper replacement
          Brake Shoe Replacement
          Wheel bearing replacement
          Rotor replacement
          Brake hose replacement
          Wheel cylinder replacement
          Brake fluid flush
          drum replacement
          Resurface drums
          Resurface rotors
          Brake cable replacement

        • Brake drum replacement

        • Hand torque wheel lug nuts in a star pattern

        The AutoTechIQ ranking for Safety, Cost Avoidance, and Environmental Impact is

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      • "Brake Rotor Replacement" fixes "Damaged Brake Rotor"

      • "Axle Seal Replacement" fixes "Axle Seal Leaking"

      • "Caliper Replacement" fixes "Brake Caliper Noise"

      • "Brake System Upgrade" fixes "Heat Cracked Rotors"

      • "Brake System Evaluation" fixes "Cheap Brake Linings"

      Sometimes a problem is more challenging to describe than it initially looked like. If you are not sure your problem is described by this article, please find below similar vehicle symptoms, which might describe better the issue you are experiencing.

      Vehicle Symptoms

      Below are just a few examples of typical Symptoms and Fixes your car might be experiencing

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      Typical Fixes Pages