2015 4Runner TRD- Stock Brakes Poor

G

GNB

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I have a 2015 4Runner TRD and under higher speed hard stops, the brakes frankly suck . I also rented a 4Runner of the same year on a trip and the brakes did the same.

It only seems noticeable at speeds of say over 40 MPH , when the brakes are applied firmly. The vehicle stops yes, but a lot of shuddering. This was the case since new with 10 miles on the odometer. I know what the feel bad rotors, this is not what is going on.

Any solutions or is this just a poorly engineered braking system by Toyota?

Anyone resolve this issue with aftermarket rotors and pads? If so, which parts did you use?
 
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A shudder usually means warped rotors. That's a warranty issue. I do agree the brakes suck. Mine are very grabby when you need to stop quickly but not an emergency. As soon as they grab and you let up they let up too much, then repeat. Dangerous in rush hour traffic.
 
GNB said:
I have a 2015 4Runner TRD and under higher speed hard stops, the brakes frankly suck . I also rented a 4Runner of the same year on a trip and the brakes did the same.

It only seems noticeable at speeds of say over 40 MPH , when the brakes are applied firmly. The vehicle stops yes, but a lot of shuddering. This was the case since new with 10 miles on the odometer. I know what the feel bad rotors, this is not what is going on.

Any solutions or is this just a poorly engineered braking system by Toyota?

Anyone resolve this issue with aftermarket rotors and pads? If so, which parts did you use?
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if it's shuddering something is wrong, you should have taken it to the dealership when you noticed the problem at 10 miles

the factory brakes are really good, stick with OEM
 
I feel the 4Runner brakes are quite good for a truck. I upgraded to SS lines, but really not needed.

Pedal feel is mushy, and it is frustrating when the system 'panic' brakes when you surprise it.. but in terms of stopping performance, I don't feel it lacks anything.

My stopping distance did suffer after mods and more aggressive tires
 
Bilstein shocks help reduce the nose dive.

Brake shuddering - Is it a rotor problem as others mentioned or are you hitting them hard enough where it's the anti-lock feature working?

I can make the anti-lock do it's trick with very hard braking above 40 but I hear chirping from the tires as they grip and slip. On gravel, it just makes a rumble sound.
 
If the shudder only occurs under hard braking, it is most likely the ABS system pulsating to keep the brakes from locking up. This is a fairly heavy vehicle for its size, with a relatively high center of mass. You can't drive it like a sports car. That being said, I don't think the brakes are undersized or underpowered.
 
Tuco S. said:
If the shudder only occurs under hard braking, it is most likely the ABS system pulsating to keep the brakes from locking up. This is a fairly heavy vehicle for its size, with a relatively high center of mass. You can't drive it like a sports car. That being said, I don't think the brakes are undersized or underpowered.
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the ABS light would flash if it was activated though, right?
 
I haven't had many complaints with mine. I'm around 47k with lots of mountain driving and they are doing fine. I don't ride my brakes down steep hills though, but that more a driving issue if you use your brakes down hills.
 
I disagree the brakes suck. They are amazing. They saved me several times from distracted drivers. I was shocked at how fast the car can come to a complete stop. Maybe you are used to over sized Brembo brakes with slotted rotors, but frankly, the brakes on the 4Runner are nothing short of excellent. Perhaps give yourself more distance?
 
4runr4eva said:
I disagree the brakes suck. They are amazing. They saved me several times from distracted drivers. I was shocked at how fast the car can come to a complete stop. Maybe you are used to over sized Brembo brakes with slotted rotors, but frankly, the brakes on the 4Runner are nothing short of excellent. Perhaps give yourself more distance?
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Same here. The thing stops quickly when needed on the highway! I do have aftermarket suspension and tires which helps mitigate nose dive.
 
I find the brakes slow to stop when applied gradually then hard. If you stomp on them from the get-go they grab and you come to a quick screeching halt. This is the "emergency braking" feature.

It's very annoying. If you are slowing down and somebody in front of you does something stupid, you pretty much need to take your foot off of the brake then slam down on it for it to stop quickly. Applying more pressure doesn't do much for emergency braking. It's like all or nothing.

I wish it was just more linear, the more you push the quicker it would stop.
 
No question the brakes suck on the 4runner. Some people just don't know what good brakes are like I guess. And it is too easy to creep at intersections too if your muscles in your leg relax slightly lol Never have that issue driving any of the other vehicles. I did replace my brake lines with extened braided lines just because o fmy lift and it did seem to improve slightly.

You can see in the pic below at full droop and turned the brake lines were stretching

As far as nose dive when i turn the knob to hard on my KING shocks the nose dive is gone when i soften them up it nose dives. SO yea suspension upgrade will fix that.
 

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57buick said:
No question the brakes suck on the 4runner. Some people just don't know what good brakes are like I guess. And it is too easy to creep at intersections too if your muscles in your leg relax slightly lol Never have that issue driving any of the other vehicles. I did replace my brake lines with extened braided lines just because o fmy lift and it did seem to improve slightly.

You can see in the pic below at full droop and turned the brake lines were stretching

As far as nose dive when i turn the knob to hard on my KING shocks the nose dive is gone when i soften them up it nose dives. SO yea suspension upgrade will fix that.
Click to expand...

Have you swapped rotors and pads?

Also where didnu find the lines? I dont see them on Crowns website.
 
I definitely creep at intersections if my leg relaxes but I just assumed that's because I was used to having auto hold in my last vehicle and it was always on. Other than that I think the 4runner has pretty decent breaks.
 
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