Brake seems to be lurching when braking??

My 2011 runner with 150,000 is acting a little weird. When I brake it seems to grab one wheels harder then the other. I think it is one of the fronts. feels like front passenger. Anyways it brakes fine but when Im braking slower through town and stopping at red lights or stop signs it lurches just from braking. almost feels like it grabs and then lets go on one wheel. Its different from the 5th gen brake walk i like to call it. (just lightly releasing the brake and then full brake at a full stop to get a rock back and forth.) I replaced rotors and pads on both fronts. Could it be a wheel bearing, control arm, control arm bushing, cv axle, A fluid problem, a bleed problem. Idk it could be anything. Anyone experience or heard of it on other models of cars? Or any advice on a diagnosis? Appreciate it!

 

Sounds like you have a sticking caliper unless there is a suspension issue. Does it sway to one side during braking, has uneven pad wear or even a twisted brake line?
Calipers also have finite life and at 150k yours could very well be on their way out.

 

How long ago were the brake rotors & pads replaced? A visual inspection of that would be step 1 if you haven't already. Another member recently posted about a similar issue, and found one of the caliper bolts was about to fall out, the other one was loose. I'd pull the wheels & check.

 

This is where I'd start.

 

I replaced the pads and rotors a few months ago maybe in April. But the issue didn’t stop at all.

 

If it’s pulling you to one side you probably have a seized caliper. What did the old pads look like? Did they wear unevenly?

 

When you changed the pads, did the caliper piston push back ok? Sounds like a stuck caliper.

I have had to replace a caliper too, seems to be common in the areas where they use salt.

 

I didn't look at the old pads or rotors. From what i remember they weren't bad. I think I would have remembered them if it was something out of the ordinary.

 

I had this exact issue years ago. It was the rear brakes. Replaced the pads and rotors (from the Toyota dealer) and the problem was gone.

 

Did feel like the lurching was coming from the front? or the back?

 

I can't say for sure. I too had recently did the front brakes so it wasn't that. I don't know if it was the new rear brake parts or the act of servicing the rear calipers or both but I flooked out. The consistent grabbing sensation was gone. There was nothing about the original pads and rotors that would point to the grabbing sensation.

 

thanks

 

Hard to say, but if you can verify that it’s not your calipers doing this, then maybe it’s bad bushings on control arms, bad ball joints on control arms or steering tie rods. or other suspension issues that result in things getting pulled out of alignment when the car is braking.

However, I would think you’d hear all sorts of noises and clunks if something in the suspension or steering was that bad.

Personally, I would double check calipers (opposite side from the direction of the pull), maybe even replace them to be sure. Going through the suspension before verifying the calipers could be an expensive mistake. Especially if the suspension isn’t obviously making any other suspicious noises.

 

Is this advice for me or OP?

 

Oops, yea I meant this for OP!

 

Could be a collapsed brake hose restricting fluid return. Easy way to test is to get the wheel off the ground, press and release the brake pedal then immediately check to see if the you can turn the wheel. If the wheel won't turn but then frees up after a few minutes, that would confirm the hose as the likely issue.

 

That’s an excellent suggestion, I’ve seen this happen myself. The collapsed hose kept the pressure inside the caliper after the pedal was released. Although in the case I saw, it retained enough pressure to discolor brand new rotors. Thing got so hot they turned blue lol.

I imagine a bad brake hose might show up more subtly. It might not be a bad idea to take the car for short ride and immediately use a temp gun to read if you have one rotor hotter than then the rest.

 

Thank you very much will try.

 

Also this one, thank you.