5th gen brake issues? Please chime in

[cbreze]

After hearing about this emergency brake assist some months ago I had to try it out of course. Well I was coming from a hike and still on a dirt road with no one around so thought it the perfect testing ground. The road was wide enough and smooth for dirt so I got up to about 35 mph and hit the brakes fast. Hmm.. Nothing much out of the ordinary. Guess I need to hit it faster. So again, hmm.. same result. So now I'm thinking, ok baby, this is the one and third times a charm. I transfer from gas to brake as fast as I could and the front locks up briefly and skids on the dirt, but just briefly for as soon as I let off it returns to normal. So I'm thinking wtf? I don't see the big deal. This could actually be helpful in a panic situation. I've had my runner about ten months and never had the need for this to kick in. I have an icon lift which is stiff enough to prevent much front end drop so no problem there. I tried it out a couple more times on that ride home when no other traffic was around and found it to be responsive and backed off immediately when I let off. Seems having it is a non issue to me and could very well save my ass in certain situations. The auto stability control is more annoying IMO, but I'm also getting used to that. As for the brake creep I noticed it also, but coming from 45 years of driving sticks I find I get used to the amount of pedal pressure required on this auto tranny and it's another non issue. I love the 4runner and am very happy with my choice. I've never had any vehicle with so much automatic stuff going on all the time ready to jump in and take over but after ten months of driving it I find I'm getting used to most of it. Perhaps a bigger concern is years down the road from now this "automatic" stuff starts to fail and causes repair problems. Seems bells and whistles are great at the beginning, then?

 

[adam2562]

Yeah, I've "over-applied" the brakes twice and both times were...exciting. But by golly the 4R does stop. But this feature concerns me more in offroad situations, especially in rough terrain. Brakes seem a little touchy and with just a little too much pressure, the brake assist comes in quick and hard. I don't have any experience in that scenario yet with my new TE, but it's going to happen. Perhaps those with more offroad experience in the 5th Gen 4R could share their braking techniques with us.

What I notice more is that because of the long travel in the brake pedal before I feel the vehicle slowing, and because the brakes tend to feel "soft" to begin with, I find myself often creeping at stop lights. Anyone else experienced this?

YES i've crept at stop lights before too.. i'm not the happiest camper about our brakes.. they are only good for the stopping power they give when needed at full panic lol. i knew 4runner brakes in general even from the 3rd gen have been weird.. but i figured i'd juts get used to them, which i have. but yea last time i was offroading i got on them quick and sure enough it made me look like a panicking NOOB on the rocks! but i'm grateful to have decent brakes for such a big vehicle in the end

 

[adam2562]

Brake creep, especially when the A/C compressor cycles on and the RPM increases, is IMO the worst thing about this truck. I am used to it, but I worry about my wife drifting out into an intersection unknowingly while sitting at a light (say she's scrolling through radio stations, etc.). You have to push and hold much harder than most vehicles to remain stopped. Not a good thing.

I may just install stainless brake lines to try to remedy this. (Less flex under pressure.) After swapping the brake lines on my GTI the difference in braking feel and power was dramatic. We'll see...

I read on one of the 2014 articles that Toyota made the new brake lines stiffer for "better brake feel" so maybe they solved the issue...

i would love to see if the SS lines help with the creeping.. i've thought about doing that. when i did it on my GS400 it also made a world of a difference.. ugh i had the Supra TT 4 piston brakes and the SS lines on that car and it was AMAZZING

 

[1000MPH]

Did you only try it in dirt? In that case the ABS would probably keep the truck from delivering the full monty.
I really don't see how anyone would think it's 'no big deal'. It's pretty freakin' impressive even when you're ready for it.

After hearing about this emergency brake assist some months ago I had to try it out of course. Well I was coming from a hike and still on a dirt road with no one around so thought it the perfect testing ground. The road was wide enough and smooth for dirt so I got up to about 35 mph and hit the brakes fast. Hmm.. Nothing much out of the ordinary. Guess I need to hit it faster. So again, hmm.. same result. So now I'm thinking, ok baby, this is the one and third times a charm. I transfer from gas to brake as fast as I could and the front locks up briefly and skids on the dirt, but just briefly for as soon as I let off it returns to normal. So I'm thinking wtf? I don't see the big deal. This could actually be helpful in a panic situation. I've had my runner about ten months and never had the need for this to kick in. I have an icon lift which is stiff enough to prevent much front end drop so no problem there. I tried it out a couple more times on that ride home when no other traffic was around and found it to be responsive and backed off immediately when I let off. Seems having it is a non issue to me and could very well save my ass in certain situations. The auto stability control is more annoying IMO, but I'm also getting used to that. As for the brake creep I noticed it also, but coming from 45 years of driving sticks I find I get used to the amount of pedal pressure required on this auto tranny and it's another non issue. I love the 4runner and am very happy with my choice. I've never had any vehicle with so much automatic stuff going on all the time ready to jump in and take over but after ten months of driving it I find I'm getting used to most of it. Perhaps a bigger concern is years down the road from now this "automatic" stuff starts to fail and causes repair problems. Seems bells and whistles are great at the beginning, then?

 

[LandCruiser]

i would love to see if the SS lines help with the creeping.. i've thought about doing that. when i did it on my GS400 it also made a world of a difference.. ugh i had the Supra TT 4 piston brakes and the SS lines on that car and it was AMAZZING

I run SS lines on my FJ80 because the 3" OME lift and increased articulation required me to get longer brake lines. I didn't see any improvement in braking feel or performance, but that thing is a fat tank with several hundred pounds of trail armor on it.

 

[gwcpa]

The bad part of the brake assist is that now I intentionally break less forcefully than I would otherwise, fearful of activating BA and getting rear-ended.

I came very close to having a chain reaction rear ender 2 weeks ago with a mustang when traffic quickly came to a stop in front of me. I simultaneously was watching the mirror with a fast approaching Mustang and the bumper of the car in front of me.

I could have stopped shorter but ended up about 3 feet from the bumper in front of me. The Mustang fortunately whipped around me into the right lane at the last second. I fairly certain if the BA had kicked in I'd have my truck in the shop now with a bumper job being done.

 

[Eagle]

So I'm thinking wtf? I don't see the big deal. This could actually be helpful in a panic situation.

Just wait for the time that happens and you're not expecting it. Even if it did engage during your testing, you were expecting it. The surprise of it suddenly engaging was the biggest issue to me.

I do think testing it is a good idea so you're not entirely shocked when it finally does engage unexpectedly.

 

[cbreze]

Just wait for the time that happens and you're not expecting it. Even if it did engage during your testing, you were expecting it. The surprise of it suddenly engaging was the biggest issue to me.

I do think testing it is a good idea so you're not entirely shocked when it finally does engage unexpectedly.

That's a good point. And I'm sure sometime it will engage suddenly in a panic stop situation. Reminds me of the first time the VSC engaged. I was not ready for it at all. But it has done so again since then and it does not catch me by surprise so much. One thing for certain , this forum is a fountain of useful info and I would never have heard about the brake issue , VSC and others if not for coming in here. Cuts down on the surprises anyway.

 

[JayceeP]

The bad part of the brake assist is that now I intentionally break less forcefully than I would otherwise, fearful of activating BA and getting rear-ended.

I came very close to having a chain reaction rear ender 2 weeks ago with a mustang when traffic quickly came to a stop in front of me. I simultaneously was watching the mirror with a fast approaching Mustang and the bumper of the car in front of me.

I could have stopped shorter but ended up about 3 feet from the bumper in front of me. The Mustang fortunately whipped around me into the right lane at the last second. I fairly certain if the BA had kicked in I'd have my truck in the shop now with a bumper job being done.

But it didnt kick in because it didnt need to, right? So it did what it was supposed to in a sense. Either way, I'd rather be rear ended than rear end someone else. I get your point though, and it is probably worth testing out so one is familiar with it.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I've brought it up before and its been pretty true for 5th and 4th gens... Toyota needs to program the brakes to be less consistent.

That's the thing that throws me off a lot of times. The Hydraulic assist is so powerful and they programmed the response for mainly soccer moms and it gives an odd feeling brake pedal.

What I mean is that when you press the brakes, they are the same soft feelling regardless of how much you press and yet the brakes grab nice and tight. It almost feels like spongy brakes, but without the poor braking performance. I wish Toyota had programmed the brake system to increase resistance as you went further down to give you a more traditional brake feeling. Granted its no where near as bad as GM trucks I have driven, but still annoying when I realize I'm creepin' in my V8 on line.. course that could just be from the awesome torque!

 

[lunarsnowstorm]

I like to use the multi mode feature when slowing down on ruff terrain, just drop it down a gear or two. Works for me. Just be careful, if you are on a hard packed trail that is down hill and a little wet you will be going on a sleigh ride.

 

[eddiebx]

I like to use the multi mode feature when slowing down on ruff terrain, just drop it down a gear or two. Works for me. Just be careful, if you are on a hard packed trail that is down hill and a little wet you will be going on a sleigh ride.

I truly don't mean any offense by this at all but, have you actually read this thread? The multi mode feature has absolutely nothing to do with what is being discussed, lol.

I suggest you give this thread and the other links posted in this thread a good read in case you haven't experienced the brake assist for yourself yet, just so you don't get caught off guard on the road.

 

[4ShoreRunner]

It makes the front dive and the back lift like a cat in heat.

lmfao!

I rarely have anything to productively contribute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IXCMJ7sV67c

 

[Stifler]

BWHAHAHAHAHAH! I just spit coffee all over my monitor! :madgrin:

 

[flying fuzz]

BWHAHAHAHAHAH! I just spit coffee all over my monitor! :madgrin:

I did the same thing, hilarious

 

[Ryan1975]

Toyota Mechanic indicating that the active braking feature can be turned off with a scantool

 

[Jmdwifi]

I'm sitting here in a diner in OH on my phone with 1G. So sorry if this has been covered, I could not search.

We have driven this new 2013 from TX-CO a couple weeks ago. Now we drove from TX-OH. And tomorrow we are headed to NY.

About 5 or 6 times we have been driving and had to hit the brakes (fast but not hard). A couple times the cruise was on and a few it was not. Every time we were doing about 60-70mph and when we hit the brakes it about shit us through the windshield. It was like they locked up for .5-1 second.

First time it happened I thought I must have just hit the brake harder than I thought. But now it has happened a few more times and it is scary. It throws the front if the vehicle down and makes the back feel very loose for a second or so.

I took it to a local dealer and they said "sorry dude, it almost 5 and you don't have an appointment".

Has anyone had this happen?

I cannot make it so it if I'm trying. So I know it's something intermittent.


Please respond if you have any idea. I have to drive 10 hours tomorrow in the rain and it has me shaken.

I just cracked at your truck shitting you through the windshield. Thank you.
Wish I had an answer for your problem.

 

[2013Trail]

I did the same thing, hilarious

LMAO! Me too.

 

[TOY2G]

I just cracked at your truck shitting you through the windshield. Thank you.
Wish I had an answer for your problem.

Ooooo. Sorry man, I was typing "shoot". I think. The that way works too... I did not catch it until now.

 

[bigbillyt]

Had Toyota Mechanic Adjust Brakes - Helped for a While

So, I had one instance of the brake assist engaging and it did kind of freak me out. I was not going very fast (maybe 30-35 MPH) but traffic was bad and someone stopped short in front of me. In my case the front caught hard and it felt like the rear end actually shifted a bit to the right. I had enough room in front of me that it wasn't really necessary. I usually stay pretty far back from the driver in front of me since most are poor communicators at best. So, while it was a little startling, I am not too worried about it, especially since I am aware of it now.

What bothers me more is the extreme travel distance and softness of the brake pedal in general. On my last regular service to my dealership, which has a pretty good service dept. I brought up my concerns about the feel of the braking in general and they did something (not sure exactly what) to adjust the pedal. It felt much better, with less travel and a slightly firmer more positive feel, for a couple of weeks. Then one day I was at a red light and the pedal just gave and went down another inch or two and was essentially right back to the way it was before. It makes me wonder what they did and if there might be a way to make that adjustment permanent or not. I will probably ask them again in a couple of months when it goes back for its next regular service.