A brake line doesn't have to look completely rotten to become dangerous. In this episode, Motormouth explains why continuous inspection of steel brake lines needs to be part of every vehicle service - especially around the brackets and fasteners that secure the lines to the vehicle's underbody.

Those little rusty "carbuncles" around a brake - line retaining bracket can be telling you something important. And when a steel line finally ruptures, the brake pedal can go straight to the floor because hydraulic pressure is gone.

Motormouth shares a real - world February experience in rural Pendleton, New York, when a brake pedal suddenly went to the floor approaching a sharp, icy corner - and explains what happened next and why knowing your vehicle's emergency braking systems matters.

The bigger lesson is simple: don't wait for a brak ...