Front Brakes problem/Question

[Avi 12]

I have a 2013 toyota corolla i bought new, i was hearing brake noise i pulled off the wheels and noticed the pads on the drivers side were worn down to the metal and the passenger side had about 30% left. I changed the pads and made an appointment at freehold toyota being its still under warranty. they said caliper is working fine when i questioned that it doesnt seem normal he said oh yes depending how you drive brakes can wear uneven from wheel to wheel. it doesnt sound right to me what do you guys think or know? if it is a problem how do i force the dealers hand to do something about it? thanks much

[jrfly3006 42]

Just tell them you are contacting customer care and that usually gets them motivated...Im surprised about Freehold Toyota though..ive serviced 3 toyotas through them and they have always been very good about covering things under warranty..even items in gray areas..I'll let the mechanics on here(1ltcap) chime in about uneven wear although it doesnt sound normal to me

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Pads can wear unevenly.  Depends on how you drive and how the car distributes brake force.  Some newer cars have EBD - electronic brake force Distribution.

 

Also - you drive solo most of the time, don't you?  Where is the extra weight in the car?  Driver's side, front... 

[Avi 12]

Pads can wear unevenly.  Depends on how you drive and how the car distributes brake force.  Some newer cars have EBD - electronic brake force Distribution.

 

Also - you drive solo most of the time, don't you?  Where is the extra weight in the car?  Driver's side, front... 

Yes im the only driver, normally the car is empty when there is weight its always in the trunk

[Krdshrk 3,878]

If it was more seriously uneven, I would say to check the calipers and bleed the brake lines.  Otherwise, you're probably fine.

[Malsua 1,422]

Pads typically wear on one side a bit more than another, but it's not a 30% to zero unless one of the calipers is hanging.

[Dr.Jimmy Rustler 23]

pads can wear unevenly. Not to 30% to 0% however(typically). make sure that you get the regular pads, the eco pads from toyota have problems non-stop.

(i work for toyota)

[Avi 12]

here are pictures the first 2 are of the drivers side other 2 are pass side, you can see even on the drivers side one is worse than the other

[1LtCAP 4,264]

I have a 2013 toyota corolla i bought new, i was hearing brake noise i pulled off the wheels and noticed the pads on the drivers side were worn down to the metal and the passenger side had about 30% left. I changed the pads and made an appointment at freehold toyota being its still under warranty. they said caliper is working fine when i questioned that it doesnt seem normal he said oh yes depending how you drive brakes can wear uneven from wheel to wheel. it doesnt sound right to me what do you guys think or know? if it is a problem how do i force the dealers hand to do something about it? thanks much

put it up in the air again, and pull the caliper off of the side that was grinding. with the caliper off, try to move the pins in and out. they probably won't. toyotas are VERY common for these pins to seize. they should move in n out very easily. as in pull them out with 2 fingers easily.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Pads can wear unevenly.  Depends on how you drive and how the car distributes brake force.  Some newer cars have EBD - electronic brake force Distribution.

 

Also - you drive solo most of the time, don't you?  Where is the extra weight in the car?  Driver's side, front... 

nope. todays cars don't suffer like that. i service a small fleet. these guys have 3 2013 corollas, an 07 matrix, a taurus, a saturn, and a couple others. they're all driven solo every day of the week. not a single one has had uneven brake wear that wasn't caused by a malfunction of some sort in the car. on these, as mentioned above, it will more than likely turn out to be the caliper pins.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

pads can wear unevenly. Not to 30% to 0% however(typically). make sure that you get the regular pads, the eco pads from toyota have problems non-stop.

(i work for toyota)

pins sir. 2/3 of the toyotas i see have seized caliper pins on one side or the other.

[Avi 12]

put it up in the air again, and pull the caliper off of the side that was grinding. with the caliper off, try to move the pins in and out. they probably won't. toyotas are VERY common for these pins to seize. they should move in n out very easily. as in pull them out with 2 fingers easily.

Thanks, if the pins are indeed stuck does that mean i need a new caliper or is there a way to unstick them?

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Thanks, if the pins are indeed stuck does that mean i need a new caliper or is there a way to unstick them?

if they're stuck or sticking, you should still be able to work them out. once you've got them out, you need to clean inside the bore. brakleen, and a small wire pipebrush work well. wear safety glasses when you spray that stuff.....it WILL find its ways into your eyes if not. once you've got em pretty clean(the bores that is), you can use a high temp. thin grease to re-lubricate them, and you should be good to go for awhile.

 on the other hand, if you were to buy a reman caliper from napa it comes complete with that bracket, and all hardware, including those pins.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

almost forgot....one of the pins.....i think it's the bottom....will have a small rubber bushing at its end. try not to destroy that.

[Avi 12]

almost forgot....one of the pins.....i think it's the bottom....will have a small rubber bushing at its end. try not to destroy that.

Thanks alot i will do it tomorrow and report back

[fatty 241]

what a coincidence..  I just changed out all 4 pads and rotors on my wifes car a few days ago.  the caliper pins definitely need to move freely.  made sure to clean and lube with high temp grease.

 

rockauto.com is my best friend for jobs done in the driveway 

[siderman 1,138]

being this is a Toyota brake thread I'll ask a simular question. My '13 Taco randomly gives off a clack when applying the brakes, not a sqeek or grind etc and only has 12k on it. A quick inet search and it seems its not uncommon, something about floating pads (edit:not calipers) ? Supposedly not a problem, anyone hear of this?

[Krdshrk 3,878]

nope. todays cars don't suffer like that. i service a small fleet. these guys have 3 2013 corollas, an 07 matrix, a taurus, a saturn, and a couple others. they're all driven solo every day of the week. not a single one has had uneven brake wear that wasn't caused by a malfunction of some sort in the car. on these, as mentioned above, it will more than likely turn out to be the caliper pins.

I stand corrected.  

[67gtonut 847]

nope. todays cars don't suffer like that. i service a small fleet. these guys have 3 2013 corollas, an 07 matrix, a taurus, a saturn, and a couple others. they're all driven solo every day of the week. not a single one has had uneven brake wear that wasn't caused by a malfunction of some sort in the car. on these, as mentioned above, it will more than likely turn out to be the caliper pins.

^^^^^^^^^

 

This.....

[TulsaJohn 1]

Is it possible that the pads are reversed? The inner and outer could be switched..... My father in law did that accidentally. So 4000 miles later the outer pad was so thin it actually became lodged between the rotor and caliper bracket, and inner pad was nearly brand new 95% left. When he asked me to help change them, I went to replace the pads the same way he had them....thinking that was the correct way. After seeing the inner pad was hard to fit, and the outer was too easy.... I realized he had them backwards..... Now with both pads being on the correct side of the rotor all is well.

 

This was on 97-99 Toyota RAV4

[Malsua 1,422]

Is it possible that the pads are reversed? The inner and outer could be switched..... My father in law did that accidentally. So 4000 miles later the outer pad was so thin it actually became lodged between the rotor and caliper bracket, and inner pad was nearly brand new 95% left. When he asked me to help change them, I went to replace the pads the same way he had them....thinking that was the correct way. After seeing the inner pad was hard to fit, and the outer was too easy.... I realized he had them backwards..... Now with both pads being on the correct side of the rotor all is well.

 

This was on 97-99 Toyota RAV4

 

Most pads these days are identical unless they have a wear indicator(i.e. squealer).  Usually the squealer goes "inward" on the side of the caliper piston because if the pins freeze, the piston will wear down the only pad it can move, i.e. the inside one.  That said, even then as long as the squealer tab doesn't hit anything and the pad is otherwise identical,  it can be installed on the outside as well. 

 

I have had vehicles where the inside and outside pads were different, however the tabs on the pads were keyed in such a way as to make installing them incorrectly impossible.

[Avi 12]

almost forgot....one of the pins.....i think it's the bottom....will have a small rubber bushing at its end. try not to destroy that.

ok i have an update please watch the video

[1LtCAP 4,264]

ok i have an update please watch the video

that looks a little odd that the bottom one's bottoming out so soon. where's the boot for that one? the reason that the top one's springing back like that, is due to the grease forming a seal. you're compressing a small amount of air trapped in there, and that's what's pushing it back out. you didn't accidentally reverse them, did ya?

[Avi 12]

that looks a little odd that the bottom one's bottoming out so soon. where's the boot for that one? the reason that the top one's springing back like that, is due to the grease forming a seal. you're compressing a small amount of air trapped in there, and that's what's pushing it back out. you didn't accidentally reverse them, did ya?

Ha ha yes i did reverse them i switched the pins and bingo seems they are both working nicely now ill check the pads in a few months to check for uniform wear i sure learned alot but will be a cinch next time i cant thank you enough for your help God Bless