Inconsistent Braking (Slowing to a stop)

Hello all - I have a new 2017 SR5, love LOVE the thing. But there are a couple little things that I want to ensure are either normal, or need to be looked at.

Braking is one of the more inconsistent things I've experienced. I've owned a lot of cars, recently purchased new was a 2012 FJ Cruiser, new 2015 Corolla, new 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport 6spd, Nissan 370z, and then 20+ other cars over the last couple decades. I've owned all different types of vehicles, SUVs, sports cars, motorcycles, etc.

This is the first vehicle I've had to feather the brakes to get a smooth stop in.

Let me explain. As I begin to come to a light, I apply brake, as I get closer to say 10mph, I have to start lifting off the brake, otherwise the 4Runner dives considerably, as if more brake is being applied, but over hundreds of stops, this isn't the case.

So as I stop, I have to lift off the brake farther and farther to keep the truck from stopping abruptly. It's as if as the truck slows and requires less brake to stop, the pressure builds more drastically increasing the braking force which due to the lack of momentum, then causes an abrupt stop.

I've gotten used to it, but it's annoying for sure. I've never had a vehicle do this in all my years, I don't know if it's a characteristic of the hydraulic system on these things or what.

Feedback welcome!

PS. I properly broke in the brakes, followed procedure, and have roughly 1500 miles on the truck now. I had no emergency braking needs, nor do I ride the brakes, etc which might cause braking issues.

 

Hi
I have the same issue with my 2014, I took it to the dealer and they said it all was fine. However in a couple of panic stops I had to do the brakes actually lock up momentarily but by the time they do that I'm already off of them. I don't know what the cause is, software maybe? Power assist issue?
For the record I don't like antilock brakes.
The feeling to me is that the longer your foot is on the pedal the more braking force is applied, it is not "linear" in feel when brakes are applied.
To me this is very annoying.
Steve

 

Oh Thank Goodness - I thought after all my years of driving, I was losing my finesse. Glad to know it's "IT" and not ME.

 

This is normal. There's a combination of issues, including a brake assist feature, and the much discussed front end dive when braking, that contribute to this.

Replacing the front struts helps with the front end dive. The brake assist you just adapt to.

 

I have noticed it, but i thought it was just me. But i am use to it by now and i do it to all vehicals i drive.

 

when I purchased MY 2016 SR5 in july of 2016. I did not like the vehicles brakes. I did comment on the brake dive... so after a few hundred miles I had to stop quickly and what happened was the front brakes locked up as I gradually increased brake effort then the rear of vehicle started to swing around . the rear brakes never came on .... so I also observed that brake dust was on the front wheels but not much on the rear .. So I bled the rear brakes and I was shocked to see a load of air bubbles flowing out my clear bleeder hose on the rear calipers ..

After that bleeding no problems , brakes as it should .. I have twice had to brake hard and all four wheels braked evenly and NO control problems. vehicle now has 8K miles ..

 

16k miles here. Mine doesn't do that. Dive was fixed by new suspension, but brakes have always performed well. It's worth investigating J Cats idea of making sure there's not air in your brake lines, because either I've gotten used to how it does and don't notice it, or mine doesn't do it. I'm really not sure. The only way to know is to drive someone else's I suppose.

 

driving the GM truck it is the opposite of the toyota brakes .. you hit the GM brakes too hard ABS comes on that means NO braking it will pulse on/off.. toyota brakes you push past a certain point and that damn brake pressure pump starts pumping and all the brakes lock up ...

 

I've noticed that brake dive is especially touchy on these things, and I'm fairly certain it's because of the massively soft, boat-like shocks that come on the non TRD 4Runners. The brakes are a little touchy and have a fairly soft feel, which exacerbates the problem, probably because I'm used to the heavier feel of my 2004 Tacoma.

Get yourself some Bilstein 5100's and that will more than likely take care of a lot of that issue.

 

I did a 2" lift with Bilstein 5100s and the dive is 80% better. The other 20% is because I went OME 884 and I probably should have gone OME 885.

But seriously, it's so so much better, and body roll is greatly improved too.

 

I have a stock 2016 Trail Premium and have the same issue.

If you want the physics answer... the kinetic energy of the car and rotational energy of the wheels drops exponentially as the car slows down, so break force actually needs to be reduced as you slow down in order to keep deceleration linear. Its been a while since I went to college though so I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Why this only manifests itself in a 4runner so noticeably compared to every other car I've owned is another issue I guess. Surely the soft suspension and spongy brakes don't help. I'm planning on swapping the suspension, and now that I've been on this thread I think I'll bleed the rear brakes too. I did have the rear end come around on me doing some heavy braking on a dirt road the other week...

 

use a clear vinyl hose when you bled the brakes .. I in the past did not many years ago , so what happens is the bubbles are not revealed , as it only takes a few small air pockets to mess up the braking effort.

just did brakes on a Dodge put on slotted rotors ...brakes did have some air bubbles .. 2013 challenger. no leaks but it did have air in the fluid ...owner is very happy now..

 

I own a trail, and the stock prius shocks it came with were awful. They rolled on turns and, dipped down on slight braking. Bought the TRD Pro shocks massive diffrence. Just the brakes being inconsistent is something i have gotten used to.

 

Mine takes more effort to keep from creeping forward at stops, much more than the 2016 Tacoma I traded. I catch myself creeping while not paying close enough attention, maybe my leg muscles are just getting weaker, lol. I'm going to jack up the rear and see how well the brakes in back are grabbing.

 

This 100x's as well. I've almost rear ended people 3 times because of it. I usually can rest my foot on the pedal, I have to adroapp push and sustain that force to keep the 4R stopped....

 

I've totally noticed that too!

I don't think it has anything to do with the brakes not functioning properly, though, it's just that the light touch on the pedal means your foot is more likely to relax slightly. My brakes work perfectly fine.

 

2014 4 runner with KDS system, bought new.
I hate this vehicle, the panic stop activates about twice a week, throws everything on the floor, the front nose dives as the wheels lock up. Been lightly tagged twice by vehicles behind me. No one undrrstands why i would slam on the brakes, which obviously i did not....been to the dealer, had the zone rep involved, no one cares or can fix. Retired firefighter here, I spent a career driving fire trucks, this is not operator error. Just a horrible design idea by the Toyota engineers.

 

Hmmm no issues here in a '18 but I haven't "stood" on the brakes yet either.

 

I have not had a problem in my 17 SR-5

 

The creeping at a stop is a definite thing.

 

could be the brake pads need replacing . if pads were changed could be bad low performance brake pads.
also 2014 IMO you had brake job done ??? also bleed the brakes ..

 

I thought it was just me. The brake pads almost feel like they are carbon- which if you've never used, grab progressively harder the hotter they get.

 

Absolutely. Especially on a gradual stop. Youll notice an RPM bump when it happens. Often tied to cycling of a the a/c compressor. Both my 4runner and Taco do it. Just give yourself extra space and plan to put pedal down further if needed.

 

did you ever find a good solution? I am sick of mine doing that too. Tried several different rotors and pads.

 

You quoted somebody who seemed to be having the TSS system activate the brakes. When TSS does this, it’s as if somebody slammed the brakes at full brake effort, to stop the car immediately, except it wasnt you. When TSS does this you get beeping and STOP warnings on the display because it only does this when it senses an imminent collision that you are not responding to.

If this happens, but there is nothing in front of you, then it’s a malfunction of the TSS system. The brakes were applied by the computer. It has nothing to do with bad brake pads, rotors, or how much somebody thinks the brake system sucks.

I dont think that is what you are experiencing because I dont think 2016s had TSS. Correct me if Im wrong about that.

If TSS was regularly slamming my brakes, I would be documenting occurances and reporting them to NHTSA, Toyota, and the dealer. That is a serious safety issue. Toyota says in the manual that it can sometimes unnecessarily activate brakes in some situations that confuse the radar, which is bad, but it definitely should not be happening regularly.

 

Are the brakes locking up under normal braking? That sounds like a malfunction with the ABS to me.

Fwiw, I have had ABS kick in sometimes when I didn't expect it to. But, never in light braking situations.

I don't think 4Runners had TSS until like 2020. Mine doesn't have it.

 

On my 2016 runner I did a slope on a hill , and I hit the brake pedal moderate .. then the rear wheels locked up then the ABS electronic software the front brakes created the brakes locked up with high pressure on the calipers.. then I took the pedal off and then put the brake pedal down a little bit on a down slope area or sand on the road..