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Toyota Camry Brakes

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Comments

  • johnnyukjohnnyuk Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1995 CAMRY 4 cyl Auto with 98K miles I have owned it from new.
    Its has been a good purchase.
    Over maybe the last year I have been aware of the spongey brake syndrom.
    Today I checked the Rotors/discs and have found the are 27.94mm so they are
    not down to minimum thickness. Pads are fine and were replaced at 70K brake system have been bled and fluid is at correct level. There is no vibration.
    The car brakes in a straight line so I dont think I have a faulty caliper .
    However I have on rare occasions gone to brake and have found the pedal to be much harder in use and no obvious spongness. Then a few miles down the road I have my spongy pedal back again.
    All that seems left is the Master cylinder I think. Cost in uk for the replacement MC is GB£220 or fitted GB£300. I am able to do this work myself. The refurb kit is GB£100...Has any one fitted a kit or replaced the MS completly and got rid of the spongy pedal.. Maybe I am getting older and its concerning me more . I was not aware of this being as spongy in its early years. Any ideas other that it brakes so it must be Ok . There seems to have been quite a lot of mentions of this in the forum but I have not read anyone has got rid of it. Johnny UK
  • gchecksfieldgchecksfield Member Posts: 36
    For those interested. The rear wheel spun freely; it was not hung up on the brake shoes. I had lubricated the axle flange a lot, but that did not help. I went to the dealership. For the holes in the drum the person I spoke with gave me an 8 X 1.25mm bolt with a hardness grade of 8.8, the fourth hardest grade out of six per my Haynes book. He advised using a hardened bolt, not one that you would buy at a big box store. Thanks to this individual at Burdick Toyota in Clay, NY. No problem removing the drum with the single bolt, but two would definitely be better. There was a bit of noise as it broke free around the axle flange, but nothing serious. And I found nothing in there that would make the scratching noise, which has since stopped on its own after having briefly gotten much worse. Perhaps something was caught and finally fell out. Also thanks to 210delray for your advice.
  • johnnyukjohnnyuk Member Posts: 2
    Hi There.

    Did you ever get rid of that spngy feeling on the brake pedal.
    See my letter.

    3 July 2009 # 155
    Not had any replies.

    Johnny UK
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    You are quite welcome; glad to hear everything worked out!
  • epoccia1epoccia1 Member Posts: 1
    Dear typesix, Ive just been told my parking pawl is bent. I was offered
    4K = new transmission 2K= used transmission no gte
    just keep on using my ebrake. Ive got a camry 03 w/127K miles
    and would love to ditch, but finances are tough and all these malef
    mechanics are telling me 5% of the true inofrmation.

    Can u shed me any light? Im a 48 yr old married woman without
    a reacting husband and dont know who to trust or just
    finance a new corolla at $14K.

    Thank you for listening.

    epoccia1@cox.net
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    edited February 2011
    What are the symptoms you are experiencing? Car when put into park, moves?

    How did this happen? Your car was parked and hit by another vehicle? Their insurance should cover your repair.

    Or you jammed it into park while the vehicle was moving, causing the problem yourself?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    kiawah, does it really cost $4K to replace the parking pawl mechanism on this vehicle? Seems excessive to me.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Better yet, why is a parking pawl worth repairing, just ALWAYS use the e-brake...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    In Kansas yes, in San Francisco...er...I wouldn't be so comfortable.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    edited February 2011
    Rarely go there, but. In downtown Seattle I always use park, the e-brake, and turn the front wheels into the curb. I imagine that would also work in SF.

    By-the-by...park is not reliable on a slippery inclined surface where the diff'l might allow the car to roll downhill with one wheel turning opposite.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited February 2011
    We have occasional runaways in SF. It's quite exciting.

    If you examine the actual brake shoe/pad sq. in. area that is holding the car when the e-brake is applied, it's really not much---about the size of spreading your thumb and forefinger into the letter "C".

    See #13 and #14

    image
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    edited February 2011
    Be that as it may, wasn't it the (additional) use of the e-brake that allowed Mrs. Smith to bring her UA car to a full stop...?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I have no idea, but that's not what they are made for. It's a parking brake, that's it.
  • int64int64 Member Posts: 19
    Hi People,
    I just bought this car(2002 CAmry, v6). It has 49,600 miles on it.
    The car has some breaking issues. when i bought the car I took it to MIDAS for inspection.According to them the rear brake rotors have some problem and needs to be replaced (may be rear brake pads too). The cost will be around $300. I have been looking at some stuff online to check it, and looks like its not a big deal to change rotors.

    I want to give it a try myself. as the Machenic will charge me too much. Is there anyway you guys can help me? I want to know what kind of tools and what size of tools I will need to change Rear Rotors, How to know If i really need to change rear rotors and brake pads? and if possible please share some vedio article about how to do it, And which brand should i use for as rotors and pads? Also, Pleas suggest some Repair shop in Dublin Ohio, If possible. And if Someone can help me to do it ,and charge me reasonable ammount, I wont mind that too.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    edited April 2011
    I don't know what kind of mechanical experience that you have, but if you are asking what tools to use, I would say this is not a job you should attempt yourself. $300 is not that outrageous of a price. Don't know the prices where you live, but I think you'd be in the $30 price range for a set of pads, and 30-50 each for a new rotor. You're looking at at least $100 in parts alone, and having someone do that job for 200 I'd be writing the check.

    You'd need a floor jack to lift the vehicle, two jack stands, a socket set, a wrench set, a big C-clamp, a brake fluid vacuum hand pump, and perhaps a couple other miscellaneous things, and probably 3-4 hours of your time if you've never done anything like this before. And it's a VERY dirty job.

    You don't mention what your braking problems are, but you may also have to replace the calipers, or even the parking brake shoes. You could easily have problems getting the rear rotors off depending upon how your parking brakes have been adjusted. If you mess up bleeding the brakes, you can have spongy or NO brakes, or have to take it somewhere to bleed because you won't be able to cycle the anti-lock motor/valves if you get air in the system.

    You shouldn't use the brake system to practice mechanic skills. Go take it to a professional. If you mess this thing up, you could have a vehicle that has a brake failure while driving and be in an accident and get sued (not only because you own the car, but sued persoanlly because you did the faulty repair....and your auto insurance may not pay either if your repair caused it), or you could end up not able to drive it and have to pay $100 for a tow truck to haul it somewhere to spend the $300 to fix it.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    49,600 miles and the rear brakes are questionable....

    Possible, but not very likely.

    After market shops like Midas, Goodyear, Firestone, have become quite famous for allowing their mechanics to "upcharge" customers in order to share in the profits.

    Braking problems...

    What, exactly...?

    It used to be that these shops would ALWAYS turn the rotors when replacing brake pads. But nowadays new rotors can be purchased for less than the cost of turning them. So now you get new rotors needlessly.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    I'd actually go the other way, based on my experience....49K and the rear brakes are very likely.

    Most vehicles I've owned would go thru two sets of front brake pads for each set of rears. This Camry we own is the opposite. I had to replace the rear pads at 53K, they were worn down to the wear sensors. Front's had plenty of pad left. I suspect the Front/Rear distributor with the antilock brakes and vehicle stability might be using the rears much more than the fronts nowadays.

    If the pads weren't replaced when the sensors were heard, and the pad metal cut into the rotor, then what Midas quoted would be normal and reasonable.
  • int64int64 Member Posts: 19
    That informative THanks, I will book an appointlment for repair
  • int64int64 Member Posts: 19
    HI all,

    I took my car to NTB and got it inspected. They said, its not the brake rotors, its the brake pads which needs to be changed. He said my rotor are 4.60 and they are at 4.13 right now. So it can still count on them for an year or something.

    He gave me a cost of $335 and he came down to $285. after i told him his cost was too high. He said he gonna use Adaptive One brake pads and going to change brake fluide also. As it shoul be changed every 3 years.

    I think even $285 is pricy. I am thinking to buy adaptive brake pads and some good fluide Is some local machenic will do it for a labour of arround $100. Is it a good idea to do that?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    edited April 2011
    Don't know what area of the country you are in, and what the labor and parts rates are like there.

    If you just need pads and fluid/bleeding, that's a very common procedure and you should find a number of places who can do that. Call around, and see what the competitive prices are. I see that 'on sale' around here for $200 bucks per pair.

    Actually, I think I recently remember seeing Merchants Tire advertising that brake pads are free, you just pay the labor. Don't know if that is regional, or what their labor prices were. I think Merchants and NTB are owned by same parent company, and I know that both will match any other company prices.
  • hkeiffer1hkeiffer1 Member Posts: 1
    i have 31800 miles on my wifes 08 camry and had to replace both of them for warp damage, is this common?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Only if she rides the brake pedal unconsciously.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Not common but you can have bad luck, or bad driving habits. The post above suggests bad driving habits, but bad luck might be a scenario like this---you are coming down a long hill, riding the brakes rather than pumping them, and at the bottom of the hill you hit a puddle of cold water---that cold water on red hot (and they do get RED hot) rotors could warp 'em.
  • typesixtypesix Member Posts: 321
    Overtightened lug nuts may also cause this.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Or, if you buy a used car, cheesy replacement rotors that someone else put on.
  • hkeifferhkeiffer Member Posts: 1
    this makes the most sense since i had just purchased new tires recently. driving habits or hills not a factor.
  • mlc2011mlc2011 Member Posts: 3
    2 years ago I experienced a serious safety hazard with my Camry Power Assist for the brakes. The break pedal would get so hard to push that it was frightening. I took it into the dealer several times, finally the problem manifested when the mechanic drove it and Toyota fixed it at no cost to me.
  • mlc2011mlc2011 Member Posts: 3
    For the last several months my 2007 Camry has been losing 2+ quarts of oil every 3000 miles or so. There is no oil on the ground and the mechanic says that the oil is going out the tailpipe.

    Is any one else having a similar problem. I heard that the problem exists in 2007-2010 Camry and that the bottom part of the engine must be rebuilt.
  • tulips4utulips4u Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2011
    My husband is having a fit because I have 24,500 miles on my 2007 Toyota Solara and I need front brakes and struts. Also, the mechanism for the driver's seat to move back and forth has been making noise and it costs $1300 to replace. Thoughts?
  • jfocklerjfockler Member Posts: 1
    I took my wife's 2008 Camry in for 30K mile service. The dealer changed the front brake pads and turned the rotors and now the brake pedal is soft. The car seems to stop OK but while sitting at a stop sign or at a red light the pedal is goes nearly to the floor board. Is it common to have to replace the brakes at 30,000 miles on Toyota's?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Wouldn't be unusual to get 30K on a set of brake pads. Sounds like the brakes need bled however, to get air out of the line. That should get rid of the sponginess. Take it back to the dealership, they should bleed it for you.
  • cb14cb14 Member Posts: 1
    I had new rear disc brakes installed at 200000 miles. I now have 234800 and need new rear disc brakes again. Both times the mechanic remarked that the front disc brakes look like new. The front brakes haven't been touched since I owned the car at 199200 miles. I asked the mechanic if maybe the front brakes aren't working. The rotors do appear shiny like the pads have been rubbing on them. Maybe the rear disc brakes are doing most of the work though. I would have thought it should be the other way around and replaced the front brakes twice as much as the rear, but its the opposite.

    The mechanic doesn't seem interested in finding out why this is occurring. Should I press for further investigation before any repair work is done? Any advice is appreciated.

    CB
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Typically I've found over my 40 years of driving, that I would go thru front brake pads (shoes in the old days) about twice as fast as rears. Makes sense, when there is more traction available in the front you can proportion the brake pressure higher to the front, which keeps the rears from locking up and skidding.

    Prior to buying our first Camry in 2007, I did read on the forums somewhere that rear pads would typically wear fastest. That is exactly what happened, I've replaced the rear pads as they were wore down to the warning tab. The fronts still have a lot of wear left on them, I would estimate approximately half worn.

    More pressure in the rear allows the vehicle to stop straighter and not dive into the corners when braking (with the added weight of front drive transmissions). I guess as long as the rears don't lock up and the ABS keeps control of that problem, it makes sense to have the proportion the way they do.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    For quite some years now I have spoken out for the rear brakes to be the primary braking resource for light to moderate braking. The idea was to rely on rear braking, only, as long as rear ABS didn't detect impending lockup or until a preset high brake pressure was reached.
  • cmk033cmk033 Member Posts: 3
    This is unusual for Camry to burn oil. If you replace oil every 3000 miles, this would not be too much of a problem but the fact the new engine burns oil is a problem. I have to add a quart every 3000 miles and I change them every 6000 miles. I complain about this problem to the dealer and they claim they have to do the oil change and see how frequently the oil had to be added to be able to determine if I am actually burning oil. I have 2.4L engine. I though because of thinner oil that this vehicle recommends may be the reason and I am actually using 5W30 grade (bit thicker than what is recommended). Let me know what you find out about this problem.

    -- Mike cmk033@yahoo.com
  • cmk033cmk033 Member Posts: 3
    My 07 Camry brake is same way. It now has about 50,000 miles and I figured the front pads are due for replacing. I bought them from an on-line dealer and I took it apart and the pad is only 1/4 worn. This is very unusual.

    The other day, I had to replace the tire bit early (I usually replace all tires at about 60,000 but it was due for replacement on about 40,000 miles. It is V-rated softer rubber tire the manufacturer put on) and notice the rear pad were worn considerably. I brought the car home and took the rear wheel out to have a closer look at the rear pad. They are worn about 80% at 50,000 miles. Now I have to prepare to replace the rear pad. This is very unusual. From my experience, the first rear pad is replaced after 100,000 miles or so.

    This must be new design of Toyota and I think, as you've mentioned, it make sense. But then question is about what mile, the rear pads are due for replacement? Looking at the current were of pads, I think rear one can still go about 10,000 to 20,000 more miles and front will be due after 100,000 miles.

    Funny thing is thought, if the Toyota have designed the brake system to were out the rear faster than the front, they should have mad the rear pad larger than the front. Their design for the size of pads has not changed.

    Any thoughts, anyone?

    -- Mike cmk033@yahoo.com
  • cmk033cmk033 Member Posts: 3
    kiawah,

    One question about the rear pad. I am not sure what a warning tab is for pads as you mentioned in your post. Is this some type of warning system that the pads are worn? If so, how does this work?

    Although I still see this type of warning device on the pads, that when it is worn down, the squick, squick sound of warning when wheel is turning, which works pretty well. Not too many pads come with this warning device anymore and I do not know why.

    It would help me to determine the time to replace if this warning tab is an indicator. Last time I check brake pads, they were worn very very evenly. All four wheels.

    Your reply post or an e-mail would be appreciated.

    -- Mike cmk033@yahoo.com
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Given that in an overall effort to improve FE all weight lessening possibilities are being considered. Reducing the weight of the "little" relied upon rear braking system might be high on that list. In the past I have expected to only replace the rear brake pads every third time I do the fronts. Could the weight of the rear brake assembly be reduced enough, narrower rotor, etc, to equalize pad wear without sacrificing braking ability??
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Sorry for delay, have been on extended vacation and just returned home. The warning tab is just a metal tab that hangs off the brake pad facing the rotor. As the pad wears, that tab gets closer and closer to the rotor. When the pad wears down further, right before it's down to nothing, then the tab starts to touch the rotor and make a screeching sound. The tab is softer than the rotor so it wears instead of the rotor. If you replace the pads before it squeaks, or immediately when you hear the first squeak.....your rotor will undoubtedly still be fine.

    If people continue to drive and the pad wears further until the pad metal backing is exposed to the rotor, then the rotor is toast.
  • mgchiumgchiu Member Posts: 1
    I just got back from a Toyota dealer in Middle Island, NY, and they charged me $479 for the front rotors and pads, and $316 for the rear pads. Gee... I have to find me a good independent shop.
  • belovedcamrybelovedcamry Member Posts: 1
    Re message from mic2011- My daughter just had her brakes stop working while driving yesterday - the pedal got too hard to push- miraculously she rolled to a safe stop. She was told today by the Toyota dealership that it was an electrical issue and that the amp for her subwoofer/stereo system was pulling too much power from what runs the brakes- which is really scary that her life was endangered because the brakes can glitch like that- and she wasn't running her stereo then-
    It sounds like whatever your fix was would be what she needs.
    Will you please tell me what was done to fix your brake problem so I can advise her properly?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    WHAT?!! :surprise:

    the problem is the power brake booster. Get the car out of there and to someplace competent.
  • mlc2011mlc2011 Member Posts: 3
    I agree with Mr Shiftright! The problem is the Power Brake Assist Module is bad and must be replaced...like about a $1200 job.

    Your situation is very close to mine. The brake pedal would get so hard to push and it would be scary...men would drive it and say I was just a weakling female. The first time I took it to the dealer, they bled the brakes and the problem went away. I drove it for a couple of weeks and then it happened again.... Before I finally convinced Toyota I had it in the shop two or three more times. I had to get really serious about the safety issue ... when I took it in one time and the mechanic drove it and said no it was fine but the Assistant Service Manager (thanks be to God) asked him to drive it one more time. Lo and behold the mechanic comes back in with a funny look on his face and agreed, it had happened to him.

    Toyota paid for the whole job.
  • zalmyczalmyc Member Posts: 1
    Hi. I'm wondering whether I screwed something up in my 2001 Toyota Camry LE 4 cylinder (2.2L).

    I went through the process of replacing some wheel studs on the front passenger side. I removed the calipers, the caliper bridge, pads, etc. At one point while everything was disassembled (the caliper was detached and away from the rotor and the caliber bridge and the rotor were removed), I went inside the car and pressed almost all the way down on the brake pedal. I've been told in the past that this should never be done, but it slipped my mind at the moment cuz I was trying to shift the car into neutral. Anyway, I put everything back together, except that I had a tough time getting the caliper back on. I had to force it on (hand force only) until it went around both brake pads, and then it slid over a little easier (although not very easily). I later read that I should have pressed the caliper piston in before putting the caliper back on.
    With everything back on, I drove the car. It seems to brake okay, I didn't hear any unusual noises, and the only thing I think that may be different is that when the shifter is in drive, on a flat surface, and I release the brakes, I think it may not move forward as much/fast as it did before this whole repair.
    Finally, my question: could I have screwed up something? from my results, does it sound like something has gone wrong, or do the brakes automatically readjust or something?

    Thanks!!!
  • randy107randy107 Member Posts: 1
    when adjusting the parking brake of a 2005 Camry with drums can i do it by lifting one side at a time and adjust it or do you have to lift the entire back end and remove both wheels at the same time.
  • mrkempmrkemp Member Posts: 1

    2007 Camry Hybrid, brakes work great, problem is when I turn the car off. The High Pressure Inside Brake System keeps pumping itself up, hours or even days after it’s been parked? Anyone know why it does that?

  • Mikes_97Mikes_97 Member Posts: 1

    97 Camry. 357000 miles. I bought it with 220000 miles. I just put on new struts for the second time. I replaced the timing belt at 295000. New rotors and pads 5 months ago, second time since I've owned.it. It uses a quart of oil between 5000 mile oil changes.I expect this car to go 500000 miles

  • davidgrayson999davidgrayson999 Member Posts: 6
    edited April 2023
    The lifespan of brake pads and rotors can vary depending on a number of factors, including driving style, vehicle weight, and the type of brake pads and rotors used. However, it's not uncommon for the rear brake pads and rotors to wear out faster than the front ones.
    In general, the front brakes on a vehicle do the majority of the braking, as the weight of the vehicle shifts forward during braking. This means that the front brake pads and rotors may wear out faster than the rear ones. However, some vehicles are designed with a brake bias that shifts more braking power to the rear wheels, which can cause the rear brakes to wear out faster than the front ones.
    It's also worth noting that highway driving can be less demanding on brakes than city driving, as there are fewer stops and starts. However, other factors such as speed, traffic, and road conditions can also affect brake wear.
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