car brakes grinding noise

Hearing a grinding noise when you brake? That’s your car’s way of saying “the pads are gone” in the most expensive dialect possible.

Likely culprits include:

• Worn brake pads ground down to the backing plates, chewing into the rotors.
• Scored or warped rotors after long neglect or enthusiastic hill runs.
• Debris trapped between pad and disc, or a seized caliper causing metal-on-metal contact.

Stop driving and get it inspected immediately; braking bits are safety gear, not optional accessories.

If you’re lucky it’s just pads and a rotor skim; leave it and you’ll be buying rotors, hardware, and an apology to your wallet.