Brake pins seized: how to fix a seized caliper

February 15, 2022

Do you smell burning when driving? Is your car pulling to one side but the alignment is fine? Does it feel like the brakes are on all the time? Or will your car not move at all? The cause of these issues could be seized brake caliper pins. 

Your car’s brake system has many parts that are subject to wearing out. And if you have decent brake pads and rotors, the issues could hide in your brake calipers and pins.

Here is why your calipers can seize, how to fix a seized brake caliper, and how to grease calipers properly so you can avoid this issue on your vehicle.

What is a seized caliper?

The caliper houses your brake pads and pistons. The caliper sits on your rotor like a clamp and when you brake, it clamps down to create friction and slow the spinning of the rotor so your wheels slow down and your car comes to a stop. This happens through brake fluid applying pressure on the pistons in the caliper which in turn press down the brake pad against the rotor. As you can see, it’s a system where everything needs to work perfectly to be the most safe on the road.

A seized caliper means you will be driving with slightly applied brakes at all times (the caliper will clamp down on the rotor and won’t unclamp) which can be damaging to your entire system, especially the transmission. Note that within your caliper, the parts that could become seized are the pistons, the brake pads, or the slider pins.

Why do brake caliper pins seize?

Most of the time the brake caliper pins seize in place because your car has not been driven in a while. The caliper guide pins or sliding pins control how the brake pad touches the rotor. If these are seized in place, your brake pad won’t meet the rotor properly every time which can cause damage to all parts involved and not give you full braking performance. That’s why, if your car is just sitting in the driveway for months, we always recommend driving it at least once a week to the grocery store. Another reason your brake calipers can seize is corrosion.

How to fix a seized brake caliper?

One solution is to lubricate the brake parts so nothing sticks together. If you have a warped rotor, you can also resurface the rotors and buy new brake pads. If you are dealing with seized brake pistons or pins and corrosion is involved, you can rebuild the caliper with second-hand parts and some cleaning. The best option though is to get a brand new caliper so nothing seizes again!