2013 Land Cruiser - jerky braking (1 Viewer)

[studio19atx]

On my 2013 Land Cruiser I find the braking be jerky sometimes. Feels like the brakes are being applied like periodic even when the brake pedal is depressed.

This does not happen all the time, some days it's perfect and some days feel like the vehicle is jerking. The range of jerk varies a lot.

I checked these items and all seem fine

Uneven wear on brake pads
Rotor warp
Wheel bearings
Gotten wheels balanced
Retorqued spacers

Any suggestions?


I have also tried disconnecting the battery and reconnecting to allow ECU to relearn.

 

[CharlieS]

Pad material fused to the rotors.

 

[studio19atx]

Pad material fused to the rotors.

Will brake cleaner work or do I need to something more to get the pad material off?

 

[CharlieS]

You can often get it off by some high speed braking/cooling cycles. I don't remember the exact procedure, I'm sure the google machine has info - something like accelerate while braking for 10 seconds maintaining as steady a speed as possible, and then keep your foot off the brake for 10 seconds for every second you were braking (time to cool off). Don't set the brakes when you park it hot, just leave it in park. Another approach is to just replace the rotors.

 

[40Man]

On my 2013 Land Cruiser I find the braking be jerky sometimes. Feels like the brakes are being applied like periodic even when the brake pedal is depressed.

This does not happen all the time, some days it's perfect and some days feel like the vehicle is jerking. The range of jerk varies a lot.

I checked these items and all seem fine

Uneven wear on brake pads
Rotor warp
Wheel bearings
Gotten wheels balanced
Retorqued spacers

Any suggestions?


I have also tried disconnecting the battery and reconnecting to allow ECU to relearn.

My 11 had slightly warped rotors that did this when I bought it. I could not spot the warping with the naked eye, but new rotors fixed it (easier for me just to replace the rotors rather than take the time and effort to have a shop put it on a lathe to resurface.

With the heavy weight of the LC, if you sit at a stop after a long braking descent causing heat, it can cause this. I try to feather a bit when stopped to avoid this issue.

How many miles are on your pads and rotors?

 

[CharlieS]

I think if you do some asking around or online research from knowledgeable sources, you'll find that most "warped rotors" are not warped at all, but are pad material deposited on the surface of the rotor.

 

[studio19atx]

You can often get it off by some high speed braking/cooling cycles. I don't remember the exact procedure, I'm sure the google machine has info - something like accelerate while braking for 10 seconds maintaining as steady a speed as possible, and then keep your foot off the brake for 10 seconds for every second you were braking (time to cool off). Don't set the brakes when you park it hot, just leave it in park. Another approach is to just replace the rotors.

The rotors and pads were replaced not too long ago. Both Lexus and Toyota dealerships said that rotors and pads don’t need to be changed.

They are technically still under warranty and because they could not find them at fault they could not swap them out.

 

[Sandroad]

Your clue that it's fine some days and not others indicates @CharlieS is on the right track. There is likely a very slight build up of pad material unevenly on the rotors and when that is a bit damp (even with dew), it can cause grabbing a bit like jerking when braking. When dry it will not be grabby/jerky. Since you replaced the pads recently, that's another clue, because new pads release more material as they wear in initially. The material is probably so slight the dealer missed it on the rotors. The solution is to remove the rotors and polish them up with some find steel wool or extremely fine emery cloth type material. Don't use anything that will cut into the steel, or you'll end up having to resurface the rotors. Re-bed the brakes and you should be good to go. I hope.

 

[studio19atx]

Your clue that it's fine some days and not others indicates @CharlieS is on the right track. There is likely a very slight build up of pad material unevenly on the rotors and when that is a bit damp (even with dew), it can cause grabbing a bit like jerking when braking. When dry it will not be grabby/jerky. Since you replaced the pads recently, that's another clue, because new pads release more material as they wear in initially. The material is probably so slight the dealer missed it on the rotors. The solution is to remove the rotors and polish them up with some find steel wool or extremely fine emery cloth type material. Don't use anything that will cut into the steel, or you'll end up having to resurface the rotors. Re-bed the brakes and you should be good to go. I hope.

Doing the hot and cold cycles helped a bit, but feels like there is more. The jerkiness has reduced but there is slight steering wobble, I am going to clean with steel wool