You may notice it feels like your wheel is locking up while driving. You may also find this doesn’t happen to the wheels when you’re in Reverse. This issue generally tends to happen from a problem with either the brake shoes or the brake hardware at the rear.
Common Causes of a Wheel Locking Up While Driving
While you may feel your wheel lock up while driving but not when in Reverse, this is different from feeling the brakes stick.
Learn more what parts to inspect for sticking brakes
Worn or Damaged Brake Shoe Hardware
Most vehicles will have brake shoes in the rear. Typically, you’ll find disc brakes at the front and a brake drum with brake shoes at the rear. Usually, emergency brake shoes sit behind the rear rotor and are held in place by brake hardware. The hardware usually consists of pins, springs, and clips. The hardware can rust and rot over time from elements like moisture.
Worn or Damaged Brake Shoes
The brake shoes or emergency brake shoes will sit in the drum and expand out when in use. The shoes have brake pad material that creates friction against the drum. Over time this pad material will wear away, eventually wearing down the brake shoes and affecting your braking.
If the hardware is so worn that the brake shoes have difficulty holding against the brake drum, the shoes can shift. If the brake shoes shift to an area where they’re wedged and can’t release, that can cause a problem like feeling like the brakes are locked up when in Drive but not Reverse.
If you find a problem with either the brake shoes or the brake hardware, we recommend replacing them at the same time.
More on inspecting and adjusting brake shoes and brake hardware
Learn How to Fix Your Own Car
Learn how to fix parts on your car like the brake shoes, brake hardware, and more with step-by-step instructions from our expert mechanics in our how-to videos.
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