5 Most Common Reasons for Vehicle Breakdowns

Failure to perform regular preventative maintenance on your fleet vehicles can lead to breakdowns. This can leave your operation without key assets while they are being repaired and can cost you in labor as additional resources might be needed to fix the issue.

Take a look at some of the most common reasons for vehicle breakdowns.

Battery

A bad battery can leave your vehicle stranded in the middle of a route when it fails to start up. Checking and replacing a battery can be an easy task to perform during regularly scheduled preventative maintenance to ensure your vehicles are equipped with good batteries while on the road. It’s especially important to check batteries during extreme temperatures in the summer and winter months.

Faulty Tires

Whether your tire has a slow leak, unexpectedly blows out, or suffers damage after driving over a pothole or another obstacle in the road, faulty tires can leave your fleet vehicles on the side of the road. While not all tire damage can be prevented, checking each tire’s air pressure during PM can help diagnose issues before they become larger.

Alternator

Having a malfunctioning alternator can prevent your battery from charging, which can lead to your vehicle breaking down. To prevent this, the alternator should be checked during preventative maintenance so any issues can be identified and repaired.

Starter

Your fleet vehicles won’t be able to hit the roadways without a functioning starter. If the starter fails to turn over and get the vehicle running, it will be sidelined until it can be serviced. Technicians should inspect the starter and look for signs of trouble during preventative maintenance.

Fuel Problems

Running out of fuel or injecting the wrong fuel can lead to vehicles breaking down on routes. All vehicles should be fully fueled before leaving the shop to start a route. Also, drivers and technicians need to be aware of what fuel they are injecting into the vehicle to ensure it doesn’t cause damage to the asset.

To learn how RTA Fleet Management Software can help prevent your vehicles from breaking down, contact us today to schedule a demo.