Hello guys,

I was doing a oil change/tire rotation today and noticed the my passenger side wheel was not spinning freely at all once lifted off the ground. After further investigation I noticed that the brake pads (specifically the inner one) was rubbing a bit on the rotor creating resistance. The inner pad was worn down more than the outside one but still a good amount of material left.

To fix it I took off the caliper and pushed the pistons back in. I also had to remove some excess brake fluid (Toyota dealership overfilled when I got brake fluid flush a few months ago). So the fluid level is good now, however after I pumped the brakes and got the pads to seat again, it was right back to rubbing the caliper. Not enough to make noise, but enough to create a good amount of resistance trying to spin the wheel freely. I've also noticed my fuel economy has dropped by about 1-1.5 MPG lately, which I suspect is related.

Anyways, my question is do you think the caliper needs replacing? She's only got a 100k miles (2015 model) and no hard use, no rust area so kinda surprising the calipers sticking already. Could it be anything else causing this potentially? I'm scratching my head.

Thanks!

Mike

Calipers are supposed to slide from side to side. Sound like yours is not and is stuck on one side.

First thing to do is be sure the caliper can slide. You will need to remove the mounting pins, clean them good, and lubricate with a high temp brake grease. I would replace the brake pads since one is worn more than it should be.



BTW, you can check for brakes dragging by feeling the wheel after a long drive. If one wheel feels warmer than the other, that brake is probably dragging.

I agree