If you step on the brake pedal and it feels like it’s going too far down before you start to slow, you might have the following problems:
Check your brake fluid. If it’s low, top it off to the mark on the side of the reservoir.
Even though your brakes operate in a closed system, contaminants can still work their way into the system. Air can enter the system through the smallest hole, and you can end up with water in the system from condensation and other means. There’s not really any way to check for this, but bleeding your brakes will remove the bad stuff and then replace it with new fluid.
Your brakes should never wear low enough to cause your brake pedal to feel low, they’ll scream at you before then. But if they do get very low, you might have this problem. Replace your brake pads as soon as possible. Of course, this can be avoided with a regular brake inspection.
Finally, if your brake booster goes bad you’ll have low brake pedal issues. Most brake boosters are vacuum controlled, so a special vacuum measurement device that connects to the brake booster is needed to check it. If it’s bad, you’ll have to replace the boost unit.