7 Reasons your car pulls to left when braking

Have problem car pulls to left when braking? Well, this is a big problem because driving with a pulling brake condition is so dangerous. You can't stop where the car should be stopped or control your car movement. It will be a bad situation if you try to drive more further.

A car pulls left when braking indicates that your brake system is failing or getting malfunctioning on one side. It means your left wheel brake is stronger than the right side when brakes are applied.

For normal conditions, the braking power on the left and right wheel should be the same. If the left side is more strong enough than the right side, the result is your car pulls left when braking. This condition can also occur on the reverse side. Here are some reasons why the car pulls to left when braking

1. Left brake calliper piston is stuck

The car pulls to left when braking most happens when the left brake calliper piston is getting stuck. When the left brake calliper piston is stuck, the brake pad always pushes the disc rotor even we aren't pressing the brake pedal.

For this example, the left wheel brake will go faster than the right wheel brake when pushing the disc rotor. This condition makes different times and power between the left wheel brake and the right wheel brake. It creates differences in pressing time and power. Then the result is the car pulls to left when braking.

2. Left brake calliper bolt sticky

The second reason why the car pulls to left when braking is when the left brake calliper bolts are sticky. The brake calliper bolts hold an important function for the brake. These calliper bolts are used to ensure the calliper moves left or right when the brake calliper piston is pushing the brake pads.

If the left brake calliper bolt is going sticky, the movement of the left brake calliper is disturbed. It causes your left wheel brake piston will react faster than the right side. This condition is almost similar to the left brake calliper piston stuck.

3. Contaminated brake pad.

The third reason the car pulls to left when braking is a contaminated brake pad, especially on the right wheel brake. A contaminated brake pad will reduce the brake power. For this case (a car pulls to left when braking), the brake power on the right side is weaker than the left side. Read: How to check brake pads ?

Many things can contaminate brake pads, but the most common is leaking brake fluid from the brake calliper. The brake fluid makes contact more slippery between the brake pad and the disc rotor surfaces. The slippery ones are making the brake powerless more than the other side.

4. Defected rubber seals in the brake master cylinder

Defected rubber seals in the brake master cylinder can cause your brake to pull to one side only. Many cars (usually passenger cars) use an "X" brake piping model to distribute the brake fluid to each wheel cylinder. The "X" piping means that the front left wheel brake has a connection with the rear right wheel brake and run across into the brake master cylinder, and also for the other side (front right with rear left).

While inside the brake master cylinder, there are two chambers made by the rubber seals. The chambers serve to flow the brake fluid corresponding to the "X" piping. Each line had one chamber.

When the rubber seal is defective, this makes one chamber malfunction and makes the brake fluid pressure vanish.

If the car pulls left when braking, then the rubber seal for the front right brake and rear left defected inside the brake master cylinder. Losing brake fluid pressure in the right wheel brake make the car pulls to left when braking.

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5. Brake shoe adjustments are not the same

Some cars use a drum brake system in the front wheel. A car pulls to left when braking, commonly caused by the brake shoe adjustment. The adjustment is the height from the brake drum surface to the brake shoe surfaces. The drum brake system needs an extra adjustment to ensure the applied brake power are always the same. If they aren't the same, it will produce car pulls to one side when braking.

6. Using different tyre size

Using different tyre sizes between the left and the right side can bring car pulls to left when braking. The smallest size brings faster brake power. If you put the smaller tyre on the left side, the car pulls to the left when the brake is applied. So, make sure you have the same size or type for the front tyre.

7. Different tyre pressure

The last reason why your car pulls to left when braking is you have different tyre pressure between the left and right tyre. In this case, your left tyre is less air pressure than the right one. Check the tyre air pressure and ensure you have the same air pressure between the left and the right tyre.