Symptom
A harsh metallic grinding or scraping when the brakes are applied — quite different from a squeal.
Grinding usually means the friction material is gone and metal is running on metal. The pad backing plate is cutting into the disc, which destroys the disc quickly: what would have been a pad change becomes pads and discs, and if left, a caliper too. Braking performance is much worse while it happens.
Stop driving if the noise is loud and constant under braking. This is one of the few brake symptoms where continuing genuinely makes the repair several times more expensive within a short distance.
Distinguish it from two innocent noises. A light squeal is often the wear indicator tab doing its job, or dust and glazing — annoying, not urgent. And surface rust after rain or a night outside produces a scraping for the first few stops that clears immediately; that is normal.
A grinding that comes and goes with wheel rotation rather than with braking is a different fault — a stone caught in the dust shield, or a failing wheel bearing.
Also described as: grinding when braking, metal on metal braking, scraping noise brakes, brakes grinding, harsh noise when stopping, brake noise, صدای خش هنگام ترمز, صدای فلز روی فلز موقع ترمز, chirrido al frenar, ruido metalico al frenar, rechinan frenos, الفرامل تصفر, الفرامل تزعق عند الفرملة, صوت حديد عند الفرملة, صرير عند الفرامل, صوت احتكاك عند البريك
Grinding usually means the friction material is gone and metal is running on metal. The pad backing plate is cutting into the disc, which destroys the disc quickly — what would have been a pad change becomes pads and discs, and if left, a caliper too. Braking performance is much worse while it happens.
Stop driving if the noise is loud and constant under braking. This is one of the few brake symptoms where continuing genuinely makes the repair several times more expensive within a short distance.
Distinguish it from two innocent noises. A light squeal is often the wear indicator tab doing its job — a deliberate warning that pads are near their limit — or simply dust and glazing, which is annoying rather than urgent. And surface rust after rain or a night outside produces a scraping for the first few stops that clears immediately; that is normal.
A grinding that comes and goes with wheel rotation rather than with braking is a different fault — a stone caught in the dust shield, or a failing wheel bearing. The test is whether it depends on the pedal: brake-dependent is friction material, rotation-dependent is something else.
One wheel much hotter than the others after a drive points at a binding caliper, which grinds because the pad is in constant contact and wears through on that corner alone.
And a grinding from a car that has stood is often just rust on the discs and pads that had begun to bond — which clears within a few stops and needs nothing. Anything that persists beyond that is the real thing.
| What you find | Likely cause | How to confirm it | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loud, constant grinding whenever the brakes are applied | Friction material gone — the backing plate is cutting the disc | Look at the pads through the wheel. Nothing else is needed and nothing else should delay the repair. | Stop driving. Renew pads and discs together; the disc will be scored beyond a skim. |
| Scraping for the first few stops after rain or standing overnight | Surface rust on the discs — normal, and it cleans off | It should clear within a few stops. Persistence beyond that is the real fault. | No repair. See the stood-unused entry, which covers this among the other standing effects. |
| Light squeal rather than a grind | The wear indicator doing its job, or dust and glazing — annoying rather than urgent | Squeal is a warning; grind is damage. Measure pad thickness to see which stage it is at. | Renew the pads at the indicator's warning. This is the point at which it is still only pads. |
| Noise follows wheel rotation rather than the pedal | A stone in the dust shield, or a failing wheel bearing | The pedal test is the discriminator. Jack the wheel and turn it by hand to find a stone or feel roughness. | Remove the stone or renew the bearing. See the droning entry for the bearing case. |
| One wheel much hotter than the others after a drive | A binding caliper — constant contact wearing that corner through alone | Feel each wheel carefully after a run. A hot corner names itself. | Free or renew the caliper and its slide pins, and renew that corner's pads and disc. |
| Grinding at the rear on a car with an electric parking brake | The actuator not fully releasing, so those pads are in permanent contact | Read parking brake codes and command apply and release, watching each side. | Repair the actuator, then renew the worn pads and disc. See the parking brake entries. |
Loud, constant grinding whenever the brakes are applied
Scraping for the first few stops after rain or standing overnight
Light squeal rather than a grind
Noise follows wheel rotation rather than the pedal
One wheel much hotter than the others after a drive
Grinding at the rear on a car with an electric parking brake
Listed with the codes that most typically present this way first — the likeliest place to start.
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