Brakes Really Sensitive /Aggressive

[JCSTEW]

I traded my 2002 Sequoia for 2009 4Runner Limited V6 and from what can tell it has Brake Assist. It appears that if you get on the brakes fast that it will stop on a dime. However under normal braking would most say that the brakes are sensitive or aggressive? Most times when I push the brake pedal I can hear a swish sound which sounds like a short release of air. I read on the forum that this is normal. However, I was used to driving a 03 Subaru Wagon or the 02 Sequoia neither have Brake Assist. All I can say that I really have to take it easy on the 4Runner brakes as they act very fast. Is this normal? Do you need to kind of take it easy on the 4Runner brakes to keep yourself or your passengers from moving forward when you apply the brakes under normal conditions? The 02 Sequoia or 03 Subaru you have to apply the power brakes quite a bit stop and they were not so sensitive or maybe I could say grabby / aggressive as the 09 4Runner. Do most generation 4 4Runners Brakes with Brake Assist, ABS, and Electronic Brake Force Distribution work this way? I am new bee with this vehicle and I runs great. I am just wondering if it is stopping the way it should. Thanks for all your help.

 

[12guns]

Any way you can see what pads the previous owner used? I would guess OEM Toyota pads, but you never know, they could have replaced them w/ some more aggressive EBC pads or something.
The stock pads are "sticky" from what I've read and do a good job stopping. I upgraded to Hawk LTS pads last year and once the bedded in, they are more touchy than the "sticky" OEM pads. I can't speak for you, but I got used to mine and LOVE the touchier feel. And it's nice to know if I even have to lock them up I can stop, even w/ trailers in tow.

 

[4loco]

i have a 2009 SR5 4WD and mine are the same way. pretty sure they are stock pads since it has 13,000 miles. i think thats just how they are with the weird electric brake booster. mine feel really grippy when im trying to park and inch foreward, almost like a jerky feeling, but im getting used to it and getting a little smoother now

 

[SR5 Iron]

My last truck was a 93 S10 Chevy Blazer where I had to stand on that pedal to get it to slow down.

I found the pedal in the 4Runner to be pretty sensitive. After a week my senses reset and now I appreciate the response.

 

[ClockWork]

Normal.

 

[Atlanta_man]

brakes are sensitive until you get used to them, I get complaints when someone else drives.

I Hate the panic stop assist and wish it could be turned off, it is truly a hazard

I trigger it once in a while - no panic situation involved at all, dumps everything on the seats on the floor

 

[T4Rget]

My brakes are not sensitive at all. I have to push the pedal down 1.5-2x more than on my other cars. I have gotten used to it at this point, but I will fix the problem once I install new brakes in the Spring.

 

[Mark86]

My brakes overreact at times if I transfer from gas to brake too quickly. Other than that, I don't notice any sensitivity issues.

 

[JCSTEW]

Thanks for all of the great feedback on the brakes. It was good to hear that my brakes appear to perform very much like other 4Runner brakes. I believe that my 4Runner has the OEM pads as this was a Certified unit with ~39K miles and the previous owner had the 4Runner serviced at a Toyota dealership. She owned the 4Runner for about 2 years and based on what we were told about her commute from near Hartford CT to MA I would say that most of the drive was highway miles. With this braking system I sure hope everybody in the vehicle wears seat belts. From what I read in my manual, it looks like if there were issues with the Brake Assist System the Anti-Lock Brake Warning light will come on. And if other parts of the brake system were to fail the Park Brake indicator will indicate in some way. In any event it looks like I just need to get used to these brakes and enjoy driving one of the safest best made vehicles for the road or off road. Once again thanks for all the great feedback. http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/characters/character0182.gif

 

[Dinosaur]

It will only take a week or two. We got ours a month ago and both me and my wife commented on how it stopped very abruptly. We have since learn to drive it and is no longer a problem.