Breakdown Maintenance can be performed on equipment that has broken down and is unusable. Breakdown maintenance is maintenance performed on equipment that has broken down, faulted, or otherwise cannot be operated. For example, if a critical piece of machinery breaks, the maintenance is performed because of the imminent need for that machine to operate again.

Breakdown maintenance is costly and affects productivity as it can put a halt to your entire production if any critical equipment breakdown. To prevent this, progressive maintenance managers conduct or schedule regular inspections and maintenance like preventive maintenance. Preventive, in which a certain level of service is maintained to identify and fix potential vulnerabilities. This is done while the machine is still working to prevent the likelihood of an unexpected breakdown. An example would be servicing the bike every six months.

Breakdown maintenance is often the last resort in an attempt to restore or extend the life of a given asset.