What Causes the Brake Pedal to Be Hard to Press and the Car Unable to Start?
1 Answers
Here are the reasons why the brake pedal is hard to press and the car cannot start: 1. The car's vacuum booster pump is leaking or malfunctioning. The force applied to the brake pedal is amplified by the brake booster pump. If it fails, the brake loses its assist, making it difficult to press. 2. Pressing the brake after the engine is turned off is related to the brake booster pump. The brake booster pump only continuously generates vacuum when the engine is running. When the engine is off, it relies on the remaining vacuum assist, which will restore after restarting and is not a malfunction. 3. In driving, to prevent unexpected situations like sudden movement or rolling when starting the car, automatic transmission models are designed to require pressing the brake to start. If the brake is not pressed, the car cannot successfully start. Additionally, the gear must be in P (Park) or N (Neutral) when starting an automatic transmission car. If starting in N without the handbrake engaged, the car may roll, so the "press brake to start" design is entirely for safety considerations.