Hey guys,

I'm experiencing a random little issue from time to time and was hoping somebody may know the cause and/or a potential solution. It's nothing serious but want to figure it out for peace of mind.

Some mornings my wheels seem to be "locked up"...I put the car in 1st and begin to take off but I get this slight resistance and hear a loud noise/pop as the wheels "break loose"...

It's tough to explain and it doesn't happen all the time.

I always keep the car in first gear and have e-brake pulled (not sure if either of these has something to do with it).

Anybody else experience this/know the cause?

Thanks!

 

Have you checked to make sure the ebrake is released?

But seriously just sounds like your rotors are getting rusted and having to break loose. How long does the car sit ?

 

Same has happened to me to. It seems to happen when the car will sit for a few days at a time. It's when I throw it in reverse it'll hold and then you'll hear it "pop" and the car will then move

 

Yep the ebrake releases fine so I'm pretty sure that's not it. My best guess is the rotors like you said but they have minimal rust, nothing major.

It's never really sat more than a weekend at most but it's happened before when the car has only sat overnight. Like come home from work at 5pm and leave the next morning at 8am.

 

Exactly, glad to know someone else has experienced what I'm talking about. I back in everywhere I go so mines the opposite...pops when clutch engages in 1st. Have you had it happen when your car has only sat overnight?

 

Yeah...but that's a little more rare though.

 

It's just rust on the brakes causing them to stick to the rotors. It's more predominant when the car has been sitting for a while and particularly when it's rainy or excessively humid out. My car does it all the time too when I don't drive it for a few days or more and it's rainy out. It can do it in as little as one day if it's really rainy and wet out.

Not a problem... but if you plan on storing your car outside or in an excessively humid environment for a long time without driving it, I recommend you park the car with your E-brake off (wheels chocked) and in gear, and make sure you let the car roll to a complete stop (from about 1 or 2 MPH) without hitting the brakes as it comes to a dead-stop. If you hit and hold the brakes as it comes to a complete stop, the pads will be resting against the rotors as the car sits and can rust to them. The same is true of the e-brake shoes and the hub.

For short storage intervals < 2 weeks, you shouldn't have a problem just parking the car normally, as the rust will break free with a slight thud as you first move the vehicle.... but if you park it longer than that in a wet environment, you might want to do what I said above to prevent brake parts from rusting together.

 

Mine does it when i park the car for long periods of time. 1-2 weeks and i usually have to "break" the wheels free to get it moving.

I've always attributed it to the brakes sticking. Usually happens in the summer when it's humid.

 

Yup. Definitely during the warmer months it was happening more frequently. Never had any of our cars do that before so it was a little strange at first.

 

I agree. None of my other cars do it, so i find it odd.

My mustang will be parked for 2-3 months at a time between drives, and will roll free as soon as i push in the clutch.

Park the G for a week and it locks fast. I don't get it.

 

There's a lot these cars do that I don't get why...lol

 

Thanks for the help guys. I feel better knowing its a common issue. Lots of humidity and moisture here in NC so that explains it for me.

 

I will say that i suspect it is the rear brakes. They tend to rust very easily and the lower slide pin is prone to seizing.