What to do when your clutch fails while driving

A clutch failure can feel alarming, especially on a busy road or a steep hill. The engine may race, the car may stop pulling, or the pedal may suddenly go soft or sink.

Your priority is safety. This is a calm, ordered way to deal with it, followed by what to do once you are stopped.

What should you do in the first few seconds?

Stay calm and do not brake sharply unless you have to. Switch on your hazard lights, check your mirrors and signal if you need to move over. Lift off the accelerator so the engine is not racing against a clutch that is not gripping.

If the car still has momentum, you can often coast towards a safe place. Steer smoothly and look for a lay-by, a wide verge, a car park or a quiet side road rather than stopping in a live lane.

Can you still drive on if the pedal feels odd?

If the clutch is slipping but you can still select gears, you may be able to limp a very short way to somewhere safe, using gentle throttle and avoiding hills. This is for reaching safety, not for finishing a journey.

If the car will not select gears at all, or the pedal is on the floor, do not keep driving. Stop in the safest spot you can reach and treat it as a breakdown.

How do you make the car safe once stopped?

Work through these points once you have pulled over:

• Apply the handbrake firmly and select neutral, or park on an automated manual
• Keep hazard lights on and switch off the engine
• Get everyone out on the safest side, away from traffic
• Use a warning triangle only where it is safe and sensible to do so
• Never lie under the car or try to repair it at the roadside

Who do you call first?

If the vehicle is in a dangerous position, call the emergency services or your breakdown provider. Moving a vehicle to a garage is a recovery job, which should be arranged with a recovery provider.

Our service is the repair itself. We Fit Any Clutch Cornwall offers emergency clutch repair, and our mechanic travels across Cornwall, so once you are safe, message us with your location, the vehicle and what happened.

What helps speed up the diagnosis?

Think back over the last few minutes. Was there a smell of burning, a grinding noise, a pedal that went light or heavy, or a sudden loss of drive? Did it happen on a hill, with a full load or after a period of slipping?

Tell us the make, model and registration if you have them. We cannot promise a repair is possible until the vehicle has been inspected, but clear details help us explain the likely cause and what is involved.