Hi folks! I am new to this forum but I have a question that I can't seem to get answered

My daughter has a 2008 4Runner 6cyl SR5 with 164210 miles on it. No mechanical problems until we had a brake job done at our local Toyota dealership. Now the brakes squeal loudly, mostly when backing up! We've taken the vehicle back to the dealership 3 times to have this corrected since this was NOT an issue until the brake job was done. We are being told that this is an issue for a lot of 4RUNNERS and that nothing can be done about it. I think this is not true as we know several 4Runner owners who do not have this issue. Again this was NOT an issue with this vehicle until the brake job was completed at the dealership. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Could be any number of things, but probably just the brake pads themselves. Did you bed in the brakes properly? A lot of pads will squeal at low speeds, low pressures & in reverse. What kind of pads did they use?

Could be your pad/rotor combo. Badly worn rotor not making good contact with the pad friction?
Have you inspected to see it was done correctly or that the pads were indeed changed? Could be they didn't replace the pads & they are just that worn and the mechanical wear sensor is squealing as designed (doubt it).

Hell, maybe they put in a pad backwards (with the steel against the rotor, but doubt it).

I'd take the wheel off and do a simple inspection to see if there are any glaring issues. Other than that, maybe take to a different shop to get a 2nd opinion?

 

I'd be curious what a dedicated brake shop would say if you had them inspect it...

 

Well the rear brakes were done ( new pads,I assume Toyota pads, and rotors resurfaced) on 9/24/21. Then the front brakes were done (new pads and rotors resurfaced) on 12/27/21. The brakes have made noise( squealing) sine this work was completed and never made a sound before the "brake job". I think the dealership should correct this issue free of charge as it seems to me that it was their work that caused the issue. I'm not buying the idea that this is an issue with 4Runners!

 

Loud squealing is not normal on ANY car. A little noise, sure.

Dealership screwed up the job. Take it to another shop. Send the dealer the bill since they refused to fix it. When they refuse, go to corporate and submit a complaint against that dealership. See if they are any help.

 

I'm not buying it either.

I'd imagine the tech probably thinks this because they've probably botched a lot of brake jobs over the years... my guess is they likely didn't use new clips, and/or failed to grease the clips and pins. Or, as suggested above, perhaps they put a pad in backwards... though that might be more of a grind or more constant squeal then.

 

Thank y'all for your thoughts and input! Glad to see that I'm not being unreasonable here!

 

Take your 4R back to the dealer that performed this 'service'. When they tell you it's normal, ask them to take a drive in one of their models for sale (providing they have any). When the test drive shows no brake noise, tell them "That's normal, and that's what I need mine to sound like when braking".

 

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with the issue!

 

Welcome from Wisconsin! ToyoTaco25 mentioned "bedding" the brakes properly. This might seem like a bunch of baloney, but it does make a difference. As far as the squealing sound, it should not be a constant, but ours has a 'slight' squeal once in a while, but when things get warmed up it does not squeal. One other thing, did the dealership do anything to the rotors, like making sure the surfaces weren't glazed or worn incorrectly? Hope you get to the bottom of this, oh, one other thing, different pad material, some squeal more than others.

 

Hey guys, just a quick follow-up on the brake issue. I took a video of the vehicle backing up and going forward that demonstrated the squealing that I've mentioned to the dealership and showed them the problem. The service advisor that I have worked with for a very long time looked at it and immediately said," Yeah we need to fix that!" I told him that I felt that it should be fixed free of charge since I had recently spent $500 for a brake job. He said, "That's right!" So I am taking it in tomorrow to have the work done, I'll report on the success of this work after I get back home. And to address Toy4x4"s question, yes the rotors were reportedly re-surfaced front and back. Again, thank y'all for your thoughts and comments.

 

Ours makes noise every now and again. I agree, a lot of 4Runners seem to make noise. Whenever ours starts I just give the rotors a scuff to remove the "glaze" and it is no longer an issue. I think it has something to do with the stock pad compound, they are HARD and tend to polish the disc pretty significantly (great for longevity, not the best for some of the driving we do). Once ours is ready, I am flipping to Surestop pads/rotors. Apparently that takes care of it.