Braking.

[garyoa1]

Don't seem to be able to post this anywhere else!

Have a 14 sonic. Stick. Intermittantly the left front brake chatters and the car doesn't seem to want to stop. Dealer can't find any problem. But did say the brakes should be checked every 14k miles. At a cost of $200. What's wrong with this picture?

 

[Natesriv]

that doesn't sound like a brake pad problem...when it chatters do you see your traction light go off on the IP?

 

[garyoa1]

Actually my wife's car. Rarely drive it. Don't know about the light. But I was in it the last time it started to grind. She was coming up at a stop light and had to veer right to go into a parking lot. Now this is at lower speeds. Never happened at hi-way speeds.

 

[ahtoxa]

Are you braking over bumps or road imperfections when you're getting this chatter? Sonics have a fairly sensitive ABS system, and I often have ABS engage when braking over a small ledge that's formed between concrete slabs where one is slightly higher than the next. Does this every single time when I'm slowing for a stop sign in my area. This happens even during fairly light to moderate braking.

 

[ahtoxa]

Actually my wife's car. Rarely drive it. Don't know about the light. But I was in it the last time it started to grind. She was coming up at a stop light and had to veer right to go into a parking lot. Now this is at lower speeds. Never happened at hi-way speeds.

Yeah, sounds like the ABS module. If she was braking moderately and then had to veer hard right, that could trigger ABS to think the weeks are slipping, because it's seeing a difference in rotational speeds between the two front wheels, where the inner wheel is spinning slower than the outer.

 

[garyoa1]

Hard to say. Had some snow covering. That "could" account for some of the not stopping sensation but the grinding noise was quite loud. Since I wasn't driving I couldn't "feel" the car so not really sure if it was just her panicking. But the chattering was really loud and coming from the left front wheel.

 

[$ub$onic]

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http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15739