Table 1 shows two common service brakes related problems of the 2001 BMW 525.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems | |
| Brakes Failed problems |
When applying brakes when wet, brake pedal becomes very hard to push. A squishing sound can be heard as the brake is applied and pedal moves to the floor board. Only happens when brake is very wet (coming out of carwash, also happened a number of times during a hard rain. ) took a great deal of effort to push down on brake pedal and bring car to a stop.
Power brake servo failure due to water accumulation. Driving the car and attempted to stop when there was suddenly no power brakes. Dealer indicated that it was caused by a bad vacuum line. When replacing the vacuum hose, I found the brakes booster (servo) submerged in 6 inches of water. After draining the water and disconnecting the vacuum hose a large amount of water drained from inside the power booster/servo. Car ran fine after repair. 1 week later, on 1/16/12 during sub-freezing temps, there ws no brake pedal function at all. Extensive web search found several threads devoted to the problem. . Read more...