I noticed that in the morning or if the car wasn't used for half a day I need to press the brake pedal harder in order to start it. Same symptom when you press brake pedal a few times while the car is off and it becomes stiff. Is this a known issue?
Stiff brake pedal in the morning cold start
klasango
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I noticed that in the morning or if the car wasn't used for half a day I need to press the brake pedal harder in order to start it. Same symptom when you press brake pedal a few times while the car is off and it becomes stiff. Is this a known issue?
Doesn't look like my build in that time frame, but I will setup appointment anyway
RC-P14-14 - - - - 05/27/14 Brake Booster
(applies only to 2011-2014 vehicles built built through September 08, 2013)
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I've noticed the same thing on my 2014. But the brakes seem to be fine. Should I take it in or should I follow the directions of this brilliant customer?
Interestingly enough, there was a recall just released on Darts for vacuum hose misrouting causing oil to migrate into the brake booster which results in a hard brake pedal.
Oil degrades the brake booster diaphragm.
So, something to check for...oil within the brake booster.
Oil degrades the brake booster diaphragm.
So, something to check for...oil within the brake booster.
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Mine was like that since I bought it and had the recall done. Then about a year after the recall the booster was making noise anytime I stepped on it and the "BRAKE" light on the dash was on. Also had to press pretty hard to get it to stop. Got it replaced under the recall this time, but they tried telling me that the TCS/ESC switch was stuck, WHICH IT ISN'T. That also costs $280 if you believe them.
Also, the abs engaged fine, you just had to stand on the pedal to get it to engage.
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Also, the abs engaged fine, you just had to stand on the pedal to get it to engage.
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Vacuum leak somewhere.. either the booster itself or the check valve..
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I didn't either till about 2 weeks ago. First it started out with the booster making a constant "whoosh" noise with the brake pressed, then it threw a light on the dash and I started losing power assist. It would be normal pedal feel at first, but if you needed to hit it any harder you really had to press it.
It's not a problem when it's on, it's when it's been sitting for a while, like before morning work commute. I made an appointment, three week wait... ugh...
Wait so you are not talking about pedal feel braking while the engine is running...but the pedal feel in the morning after the truck has sat overnight feeling firm before starting?
It will and yes you should have to push it harder as they are Power Assisted brakes..which means the engine provides vacuum which makes it easier to push the pedal down.
The brake pedal will be quite firm in the morning after sitting all night...at least much firmer than when the engine is running.
It will and yes you should have to push it harder as they are Power Assisted brakes..which means the engine provides vacuum which makes it easier to push the pedal down.
The brake pedal will be quite firm in the morning after sitting all night...at least much firmer than when the engine is running.
I thought my original post was clear that the car is not running. To reproduce simply Turn off the car and press brake pedal a few times until it becomes stiff, the same exact symptom I experience now in the morning when I attempt to start the car. It's not normal, at least it hasn't been like that for the first year and half.
Ahh, got it. So you are losing the vacuum assist overnight...its not holding and now feels like you had pumped the brakes with the engine off.
Does the pedal feel change with your foot on it once the engine starts?
Yup, it goes back to normal once the car is started. you had good description of the problem, I didn't know it was called vacuum assist.
Got my car back after dealer had it overnight to test the brake pedal stiffness in the morning. Their reply "They checked brake booster, tested brake vacuum and everything is normal". I felt like an idiot who just made this issue up. Of course tomorrow morning it will be stiff again. I may have to come up with elaborate way to prove this to them it's an issue.
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Mine did the exact thing yours was doing. Vacuum assist was fine but stiff pedal in the morning. Been like that for the year and 3 months I owned it. Then one night I was driving to get my girlfriend some ice cream when I came to a light that had like no yellow, hit the brakes, then went to hit them a little more because I was still going a bit fast, and it felt like my foot was on the floor. Lost all power assist, so I really hit it and thankfully they still worked, girlfriend was none too pleased as the belt tightened up around her belly and the baby didn't like that... Thinking "that was really weird" I pull over to check my brake fluid and it's all good, no stuck calipers, nothing is smoking or burning...
Get her ice cream and she wants me to follow her to her friends house because she was paranoid about sliding off the road in the ice. Had to drive back home, then 20 more minutes the opposite way and that's when the "BRAKE" light came on. Every so often, like if you needed to slow down a bit more than coasting it would deplete the assist if you needed to stop, you had to press good and hard...wanted to make sure I could still stop in an emergency so I tried getting the abs to kick on on dry pavement... It's friggin hard to do. I'm 6'3" or so and pushing 270lbs (she got pregnant, I also got pregnant)... so be prepared to stand.
Took it into the dealer who I bought it from (never again) and performed the booster recall (shouldn't you do recalls before selling a vehicle???) and they found that yes the booster is bad and it's because "the TCS/ESP switch is stuck." It wasn't, because I clicked it the day before... But now I let it sit for a full 24 hours and the pedal is still soft like the engine is running, haven't had a stiff pedal yet in the morning. Anyway, fixed under warranty and I declined their esp switch.
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