Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ever found out your brakes didn’t work

No brakes happened to my friend 2 years ago.
He had around a 1998 Jetta, not sure what happened but he and his wife just started down a hill and my friend needed brakes for the upcoming corner, nothing happened and the car wouldn't gear down either, so my buddy went freewheeling down a road about 2 miles, a cliff on one side the entire way down this very narrow and extremely winding road.

If anyone was coming up the road it wouldn't have been good...my buddy road it down to the intersecting rd at the bottom and my buddy carved it hard going about 80-90 mph and slid into a tree sideways, totaled the car and they both got out without a scratch.

Another friend owns the house at the bottom of the hill and he heard the Jetta squealing around the corners on the way down LOL...he gave my friend and his wife a ride home. Alot of lucky things happened that day.

I ripped my brake line out driving over unseen fence wire in the brush up in the mountains outside Las Vegas. I got to the top of a steep climb, pushed the brakes and they went to the floor and I started rolling backwards. Metal brake line ripped and all the brake fluid drained out. I had to roll back down the mountain in Low first gear and using my e-brake. When I got to the desert flats I camped out and woke up at 5am to drive into LV, with no brakes, before traffic got bad. I limped it to Autozone by 7, waited until they opened and bought new tubing, fluid, a bleeder kit, some specialty tools, etc. I fixed it right there in the Autozone parking lot for about $60. A tow from the desert would have been around $600.

The one time I had total brake failure was luckily on a drag strip. Hit third gear on a Panhead Harley and the chain let go, taking the brake line with it. This being in the late 60's and me being Billy from Easy Rider, of course no front brake... All ended well, just a long push back to the pits.

The scariest time I had severe brake fade was fairly recently coming down out of the hills above Santa Fe NM in a motorhome. Managed to pull over onto a VERY narrow shoulder. Other drivers were very courteous, and I sat there until my master cylinder cooled down enough to go on down the hill SLOWLY. Thank you Baby Jesus!

Testing my brakes in the driveway I blew a brake line. Was about to take my boat/trailer to the dealer for warranty.

They've gone back to single reservoir on new vehicles with abs crap. If you spring a leak you lose it all.

!992 f250 long bed loaded with oak logs a little higher than the top.

Didn't know till i went to turn left in lamsea.

It would not even slow down so i did the next best thing pulled the e brake out and stepped on it to slow down.

When i got out the day and looked it seemed that an oak log i went over had hit the brake line in the rear.

I had just been on interstate 20 so i am glad i did not have to do any fast stops.

Unbelievably stupid.
Dual piston, dual circuit. Single reservoir.
If you ever hit the brakes and feel something give,
DO NOT PUMP THEM!!!
What you got is the best you are gonna get, keep the pedal down, stop as soon as possible and realize you no longer have any brakes.

Also, if you get a leak. It will siphon the reservoir dry.


I've blow a few wheel cylinders and several rusty brake lines.
Have limped home with absolutely no brakes a few times.
Not even a parking brake.
No recommended, but we have little traffic, I was careful and drove slow.

I traded my brother for a Jeep cj back in the 90s.....He lived in KY and I was living in Highpoint NC ... I drove up and made the trade and was on my way Home made it to Bluefield WV when the brakes went out....I drove that sucker all the way to high point NC with no brakes ...Good thing it was late in the night on a Sunday....

Can you imagine what a thread like this would look 10 years from now?

We are survivors! Salute brothers!

My kids would/will survive similar incidents, doubt that many of their generation would.