Front Brakes "pulsing"

[jerseygeorge]

My daughter has a 2016 with about 100K on it. Last year she had "pulsing" when applying front brakes, more noticeable as slower speeds. Had rotors and pads replaced. It was fine for a short while, then pulsing started again. Thinking warped rotors, changed again. Still "pulsing".

The mechanic says the calipers are fine, not rubbing and heating up rotors.

Any idea what components to check next? I put Powerstop Rotors, Calipers, Pads on mine and very happy.

 

[AuSeeker]

My daughter has a 2016 with about 100K on it. Last year she had "pulsing" when applying front brakes, more noticeable as slower speeds. Had rotors and pads replaced. It was fine for a short while, then pulsing started again. Thinking warped rotors, changed again. Still "pulsing".

The mechanic says the calipers are fine, not rubbing and heating up rotors.

Any idea what components to check next? I put Powerstop Rotors, Calipers, Pads on mine and very happy.

First and foremost, how do you know it's the front brakes and not the rear brakes or both, and also you stated..."she had "pulsing" when applying front brakes"...how do you apply just the front brakes??

 

[jerseygeorge]

First and foremost, how do you know it's the front brakes and not the rear brakes or both, and also you stated..."she had "pulsing" when applying front brakes"...how do you apply just the front brakes??

How about pulsing when applying brakes that feels like it's coming from the front?

 

[cmaddox]

Is the steering wheel shaking when she applies the brakes? That would indicate if it is in the front brakes also. Just trying to help diagnos/locate the issue.

 

[Quickfix]

JerseyGeorge, we had a similar issue on our 2011. I replaced the brakes & rotors like you did- still pulsing. I pulled the calipers & pins, cleaned them up & regreased them with brake rated grease. This worked! I think the pads weren't moving free enough, and once they were, the pulsing stopped. Best of luck.

 

[CutthroatSlam]

We have a 2014 with 350K miles and been through several times. This all relates to the hyper sensitive front end which hates out of balance tires, worn suspension and steering components and uneven tire wear resulting from those. Got to address all of them, one at a time. Can be as simple as tire rotation as feathered tire wear on the front can cause this. Then you get into road force balancing, replacing tie rods, ball joints, etc.

Like I’ve said, been there and addressed that. It’s a constant battle with these vehicles, but I have won.

 

[premise]

My guess is pad material deposits on the rotor (non-uniform). Can occur when hot brakes are allowed to have the pad sit in one spot on the rotor for one thing. Resurfacing wouldn't be necessary, just clean the rotors w/ abrasives OR perform a classic pad bedding (see Stoptech).