One brake isn't fully releasing, so it's rubbing all the time the car is moving. On the roller brake tester it shows as drag on a wheel that should be spinning free. Left alone it destroys pads and discs, eats fuel, and can get hot enough to boil the fluid at that corner.
Wording as it commonly appears on an MOT certificate: “Brake binding”.
What does it mean?
One brake isn't fully releasing, so it's rubbing all the time the car is moving. On the roller brake tester it shows as drag on a wheel that should be spinning free. Left alone it destroys pads and discs, eats fuel, and can get hot enough to boil the fluid at that corner.
How serious is it?
Usually recorded as: Minor, Major. The tester assesses the actual vehicle on the day, so your certificate is what counts.
What normally causes it?
- A seized caliper slide pin — by far the most common cause on UK cars
- A seized caliper piston, often on the rear where the handbrake mechanism lives
- A collapsed flexible hose holding pressure at the caliper
- A rusted or badly adjusted handbrake cable that won't return fully
- Rear drums where the shoes have swollen or the wheel cylinder has stuck
What a mechanic would check
After a short drive I feel each wheel — not the tyre, the wheel rim — and one that's noticeably hotter tells the story. Then I jack it up and spin it by hand. If it frees off when you crack the bleed nipple, the hose or piston is holding pressure; if it's stiff with no pressure in the system, it's mechanical.
What might need replacing
- Caliper slide pins, boots and grease
- A reconditioned caliper
- A flexible brake hose
- A handbrake cable
- Pads and a disc if they've been cooked
Can you still drive it?
A mildly dragging brake will get you home, but the corner gets hot and fuel economy drops. If you can smell hot brake or the wheel is too hot to touch, stop — boiled fluid means a long pedal when you need it most.
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This is general guidance from a UK mechanic, not a substitute for a physical inspection. Only the tester who inspected your vehicle can confirm what was recorded and why.