This is the third time while driving that my brakes have simply just gone out. It-??s usually on the freeway while at high speeds and I-??m nearly not able to stop. This is the third time in three years. No lights come on on the dashboard and no warnings happened at all the brakes just simply stopped working. It takes extreme pressure to try to stop and I-??m usually told that it-??s some part of the vacuum.

- Spanaway, WA, USA

From time to time when braking, a thumping sound is heard in the rear drum brakes of my brand new Chevy Spark. I cannot decide which one the noise is coming from, or both. It will go away after a while. It occurs more frequently when I need to brake hard, but not always. And it does not happen every day. The car is new. When I took it to the dealer for the very first oil change, I asked them to look into it. They kept the car 3 days. They said they drove it but did not notice any noise. To my surprise, during those three days, the dealership did not pull the wheel and look inside the drum for a broken spring, warping, delamination or some other component defect or system failure. I've never had a car with drum brakes making this sound.

- Lafayette, LA, USA