Brake Pedal Stiff Car Won’t Start Dodge Charger? Reasons and Quick Fix
Facing brake pedal stiff problem? Can’t press the brake pedal? It happens mainly for the vacuum pressure. Most SRT owners assume brake pedal stiff car won’t start Dodge Charger caused by the battery.
Yeah, sometimes it’s my right, but not always. There are more reasons. Don’t be fooled. It’s time to clear all your confusion.
We have gone through hundreds of such cases and narrowed this with the reason and perfect solution. Let’s dive right into it!
Why Brake Pedal Stiff Car Won’t Start Dodge Charger?
Imagine going somewhere urgent and finding the brake pedal stiff before starting the car. It is incredibly stiff, and you can’t press it. Ever find yourself in this situation? Then it’s time to find out the reason behind it thoroughly.
There can be two situations comes.
- The First situation can happen when you don’t even press your breaker, but it is still stiff. This scenario is caused by residual hydraulic pressure. Residual hydraulic can cause to activate the brake calipers and lock them. It is not a unique scenario.
- The second scenario can call brake lock-up. This situation causes both to brake hard not to cause an accident or to brake gently to stop sliding. It is a highly fatal situation. Even if you try to avoid sliding, it won’t work, and you end up skidding.
Whatever the problem is, finding the reason at first help you to lead to the solution. If you don’t know the reason, finding a solution won’t be easy. And this is a problem you shouldn’t ignore.
Brake lock-up can cause mechanical issues to your braking system. And also can cause fatal accidents. So, let’s not waste time and know why the brake pedal is stiff and car won’t start Dodge Charger!
Why Brakes Lock Up
We usually face our car won’t start. And we know it happens for stiffy brake pedals. But did we know why brake pedals are stiff? It can happen for many reasons. Go through all the prevalent reasons at a glance-
| Reasons | Fixes |
| Exhausted brake vacuum | Keep away your foot from the wheel for a few minutes. If an exhausted brake vacuum is an issue, it will fix it. |
| Damaged ignition switch | If a damaged ignition switch is an issue, you need to replace it. |
| Faulty starter motor and battery terminal | Check the battery terminal if there is any corrosion. Then if your vehicle has an automatic feature, switch it to park mode. |
Exhausted Brake Vacuum
Modern cars come with a power assist that works for operating vacuum to a brake. If you press the brake pedals without your engine running, it is tiring the reserve vacuum of your car while it’s off. It ended up with your brake pedal going stiff.
Check your brake system if it lacks vacuum pressure. If it, then you have to put sufficient vacuum pressure on its need. However, if it is below 18 inches, then it needs more air. To do this, you will need to install a vacuum pump or can go for servicing.
Damaged Ignition Switch
The ignition switch going bad can happen mainly in older cars. It is also a cause of the hard brake pedal. It gives slow cranking in the engine. If you push your brake and the brake lights are off, then the ignition switch is the issue.
Thus it might trip the valve. And the valve needs to recenter. It needs to move the valve in the perfect position. We won’t recommend doing it at home because it is cheap to replace the valve.
Faulty Starter Cable and Battery Terminal
A faulty starter cable is one of the most found causes of a hard brake. If your starter cable gets disconnected from the battery terminal, it stiffens the brake. If your car makes loud clicking while turning the key, your starter cable is damaged.
Check the circuit thoroughly battery, cables, fuses, relay, and ignition switch. If you find corrosion in the cable, then change or fix it carefully. Fixing the cable will fix your hard brake pedal car and won’t start.
Apart from these, if your braking parts are broken or the brake pedals are overheated, it can cause the brake pedal to be stiff, resulting in the car won’t start issue.
A Helpful Tutorial You May Need!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is my brake pedal hard when I start my car?
When you start your car, brake drops are possible and quite normal. But if it disturbs your whole way of driving, it’s not normal at all. It happens because of the air in the brake lines. If you face this situation, your car may need servicing
Why is my brake pedal stiff, and the car won’t start?
It is possibly a leaky check valve on your brake booster. It causes the vacuum to run. And thus, if it’s air leaks, you won’t have any power assistance. And it affects your battery, giving a bad cell. Therefore, your starter went wrong, and your car won’t start.
How do you unlock a brake pedal?
Faced Dodge Charger brake pedal stiff car won’t start? If you are facing it in the middle of driving, you can go with three steps:
1. Press the paddle with absolute pressure and gain as much control as possible.
2. Stay your foot away from the paddle. Thus the wheel will get enough traction to unlock momentarily possibly. It will unlock after a while.
3. Repeated and quickly press the brakes until it takes you to a safe stop.
Conclusion
The Brake system is an empathetic and critical point of a car. It can make your driving experience smooth and also fatal at the same time. Of course, we do not want a brake pedal stiff car that won’t start Dodge Charger. It’s annoying in urgent situations. So we hope we can disclose all the critical reasons for this problem. Hope the reasons above will help you to find your issue. Before starting the car, check the vacuum pressure and valving problems first. It may help to avoid fatal accidents.
Suppose you find out the issue as soon as you visit your mechanics. Do not neglect this issue. Of course, safety is most important. If you have more queries, leave a comment.
You Can Also Read:
- Dodge Charger Cranks But Wont Start – What Are The Reasons?
- Dodge Charger Trunk Won’t Open: Why And How To Fix It
- Dodge Charger PCM Problems: 5 Problems You Might Encounter
- Dodge Charger Rear Differential Problems – Find Out Which Problem Is Your Current One
- Dodge Charger Control Arm Problems: How Severe Are They?
Zain Mark- Diagnostic Technician
Meet our diagnostic technician expert managing all the topics related to diagnosing vehicle problems, especially the problems with ECU or PCM.
He is sharing his years of working experience troubleshooting modern car programs and dashboard issues with all. In his free time, Zain is found playing his guitar, tuning a new tune.
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