History Main / MagicBrakes

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In the first ''Film/CannonballRun'' film, a minor Cannonballer claims to a police officer trying to pull him over that his brakes are broken and he can't stop. After the police car pulls away to get backup, the Cannonballer discovers his brakes really ''are'' broken, leading to his truck jumping off the conveniently placed car hauler and over the single empty flatbed of the train that has everything else stopped.
* Occurs in the ''Film/TankGirl'' film when TG is stealing the Water & Power truck.
-->'''Jet Girl:''' There's a big cliff coming up on you. Now hit the brakes. Hit the brakes!\\
'''Tank Girl:''' Brakes aren't working, girl! Plan B!\\
'''Jet Girl:''' Get outta there! Quick! Jump!
* ''Film/RidingWithDeath''. Atypically, the brake failure is treated as only a moderate danger in and of itself -- the danger is provided by the high explosives in the trailer, the steep downhill grade causing it to speed up, and the hairpin turn just down the road (although he's driving a tractor-trailer with air brakes, so cutting a line should've prevented him from going anywhere in the first place).

* In ''Film/SilverStreak'', the conductor's plan to stop (most of) the sabotaged train and minimize the damage from the crash at the end of the film is simple: uncouple the cars, all the air lines break, and the emergency brakes set, leaving only the locomotive running out-of-control. This is actually completely accurate.
** The same situation was played out in the film ''Film/{{Runaway Train}}''.
** Also in ''Final Run'' (1999), but this time helped with a Skycrane helicopter to to make sure the cars really stop.
* This is how the titular character dies in ''Film/DrowningMona''.

* Borderline example in ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' where it's the ''accelerator'' pedal that's broken, and won't come up from the depressed position, causing the car to keep accelerating until the protagonist rips the key out of the ignition.
* Crops up in one of the books that were adapted into ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall'' of all places. Subverted in that Jim had been complaining to Siegfried about the car (which belonged to the practice) being in increasingly urgent need of having the brakes serviced for some weeks beforehand[[note]][[ValuesDissonance The story predates proper vehicle roadworthiness tests by some decades]][[/note]], but the part where they finally give up the ghost right at the top of a very steep hill is played straight. [[JustifiedTrope Of course,]] being in Yorkshire it would have been ''more'' of an improbable coincidence if they'd quit on him anywhere but on a hill.

** "Hellfire" does a good job of setting up the sequence -- there's a steep gradient, a reason for the brakes to fail just at that moment, and an actual danger from the load of unstable explosives on the back of the truck -- but still falls inside the trope because the people in the truck, one of whom is the famously ingenious [=MacGyver=], can't think of anything that might slow the truck down.

* Subverted in ''Series/LoisAndClark'', when Jimmy Olsen finds himself unable to brake he resorts to screaming for help. Superman just sits down next to him and says "Did you try this?" before turning off the ignition and handing Jimmy the key as the car comes to a complete stop.
* Justified in ''Series/{{Smallville}}''. When an actress's car goes out of control, it's revealed that not only did someone cut her brake line, they ''also'' tampered with her accelerator, explaining why she kept speeding up.
* A brake fluid line was accidentally cut in a ''Series/MissionImpossible'' episode, in a remote-controlled vehicle to boot. However, they ''did'' manage to get the vehicle back in control through downshifting.
* In one episode of ''Series/TheBionicWoman'', Jaime finds herself in a car with the brakes cut, rolling downhill, and the gearshift rigged so she couldn't put it in park. She has to open the car door and stomp down hard with her bionic legs to stop the car.
* In ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', Penguin decides to murder Edward Nigma's girlfriend Isabella and has her brake lines completely severed and gushing braking fluid, a sabotage that goes unnoticed until she needs to brake avoid running into a train...in about 15 seconds. She is on a slight downward incline, but no option other than repeatedly pressing the brake while continuing straight towards it seems to occur to her.
* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "[[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS15E4 Death and the Divas]]",an attempted murder by [[VehicularSacotage cutting the victim's brake lines]] ends with the intended victim's face planted on the steering wheel and [[DeadManHonking the horn blaring]].

* ''Film/RidingWithDeath''. Atypically, the brake failure is treated as only a moderate danger in and of itself -- the danger is provided by the high explosives in the trailer, the steep downhill grade causing it to speed up, and the hairpin turn just down the road.

* C. W. [=McCall's=] "Wolf Creek Pass" describes this happening to a flatbed carrying a full load of chickens on the downhill side of the eponymous pass. The description makes it sound as if the lines blew out at that moment, explaining how they didn't notice before. Well, that, and Earl apparently DrivesLikeCrazy.

** Subverted/Parodied in "Escape From Pearl bailey" where a girl Steve is taking revenge on has her brakes go out at the top of a steep hill, only to realize that she was just [[DrivingStick stepping on the clutch]]. The revenge Steve has for her is [[ExcrementStatement instead much more humiliating and disgusting]].

** Subverted/Parodied in an episode of, where a girl Steve is taking revenge on has her brakes go out at the top of a steep hill, only to realize that she was just [[DrivingStick stepping on the clutch]].
** Played straight in another episode when Roger cuts the brakes after getting insulted on his 1600th birthday; the car goes in full throttle as soon as Stan mentions the brakes.

* On ''WebVideo/SevenSecondRiddles'', A busdriver's brakes stop working and he ends up driving the bus and all its riders off of a cliff, with enough momentum to go up hill.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Marge's car's dashboard actually has a "Brakes Cut" light.
** Even stranger, the brakes weren't actually cut: Homer just ended up draining all the brake fluid when he was trying to change the oil, and was too embarrassed to mention it.
** The episode "Marge vs. the Monorail" also has brakes which visibly break once the monorail starts moving. Pulling the brake lever had an audio message saying the lever is not in service.

** Played straight in another episode when Roger cuts the brakes; the car goes in full throttle as soon as Stan mentions the brakes.

* Subverted in ''Series/LoisAndClark'', when Jimmy Olsen finds himself unable to brake he resorts to screaming for help. {{Superman}} just sits down next to him and says "Did you try this?" before turning off the ignition and handing Jimmy the key as the car comes to a complete stop.

* First played straight and then unintentionally on two separate occasions in ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest'' -- In the season 2 episode ''A Midsummer Night's Curse'', the brakes in Miyuki's Honda go out just as it reaches a crosswalk with two children crossing (The emergency brake however, did work, preventin any accidents from occurring). The other instance is in the opening to the ''Full Throttle'' season. In which (as is typical of Creator/StudioDEEN's [[SarcasmMode testament]] of [[OffModel quality]]) the brake pedal disappears for one frame.
* Done in the first episode of ''Anime/PunchLine'' when Rabura tries to stop the bus.

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ComicStrip/DickTracy faced this situation at least once in the 1930s.
[[/folder]]

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'' episode 111, where Eudial's car falls off a cliff after she discovers that her rival Mimete destroyed its brake pedal. Not only did she have enough time and distance to simply steer away, but it also raises the question how she managed to get there to begin with -- not only without brakes, but also without noticing it.
** Eudial is established as driving like an absolute lunatic; she'll do 80 driving up the stairs of a subway station. Mimette could have slashed her brake lines three episodes ago and that was just the first time she noticed.
** The weirdest part about that whole sequence is that Mimete didn't cut the brake line: she removed ''the entire brake pad and the bottom portion of the car''. Not only did Eudial not notice the gaping hole next to the gas pedal, but she didn't notice the snails Mimete left as a...as a...well, actually, I have no idea why she left snails in her car. The original English dub didn't even seem to know, so they just said they were "[[HollyWoodAcid acid snails]]" and [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment never mentioned it again]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgmMkCo3g-s That sequence was weird]].
** Actually, the Japanese version established Eudial as being squeamish around snails. Mimete had earlier left snails inside her locker, which caused Eudial to freak out, and she may have left them in the car to make her panic and lose even more control of the car.

Specifically, without brakes, a fictional driver loses all ability to slow the car down. They don't think to downshift, de-clutch, take the car out of gear, or even take their foot off the accelerator pedal. Applying the parking brake doesn't help, even though is a completely separate system from the normal hydraulic brakes. Throwing the car into reverse is ineffective as transmissions can't engage the reverse gear while moving forwards.

* Crops up in one of the books that were adapted into ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall'' of all places. Subverted in that Jim had been complaining to Siegfried about the car (which belonged to the practice) being in increasingly urgent need of having the brakes serviced for some weeks beforehand[[note]][[ValuesDissonance The story predates proper vehicle roadworthiness tests by some decades]][[/note]], but the part where they finally give up the ghost right at the top of a very steel hill is played straight. [[JustifiedTrope Of course,]] being in Yorkshire it would have been ''more'' of an improbable coincidence if they'd quit on him anywhere but on a hill.

Often overlaps with BrakeAngrily, and if the driver's a woman, DamselInDistress.

Often overlaps with BrakeAngrily.

Specifically, without brakes, a fictional driver loses all ability to slow the car down. They don't think to downshift, de-clutch, take the car out of gear, or even take their foot off the accelerator pedal. Applying the parking brake doesn't help, even though is a completely separate system from the normal hydraulic brakes. Throwing the car into reverse is another idea that never occurs to anyone (but in fairness, the Series/MythBusters have shown this would never work in the first place since most cars won't shift from a forward gear to reverse until the car has stopped moving).

* ''Film/RidingWithDeath''. Atypically, the brake failure is treated as only a moderate danger in and of itself -- the danger is provided by the high explosives in the trailer and the hairpin turn just down the road.

* C. W. [=McCall's=] "Wolf Creek Pass" describes this happening to a flatbed carrying a full load of chickens on the downhill side of the epontemous pass. The description makes it sound as if the lines blew out at that moment, explaining how they didn't notice before. Well, that, and Earl apparently DrivesLikeCrazy.
--> Well Earl rared back, cocked his leg, stepped down as hard as he could on the break, the pedal went clear to the floor, and stayed right there on the floor, he says it sorta like stepping on a plum.

** Even stranger, the brakes weren't actually cut: Homer just ended up draining all the brake fluid when he was trying to change the oil, and was too embarassed to mention it.