Brake Pedal Height and Feel on Typical Avalon - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

edge10 · 11-08-2009, 09:02 PM

I would like to get some feedback on typical Avalon brake pedal feel and height. This is my folks car, which is an 99 XLS w/4 wheel discs brakes. I have heard some Toyotas have a soft pedal I am not that familiar with car, but the brakes feel too low and spongy to me. With moderate pressure the pedal will be about 1" off the floor and still be spongy. The brakes still have a lot of power and start to engage at the top of the travel. I have bled the brakes and there are no leaks, so it sounds like a bad master cylinder to me.

blkavalon · 11-08-2009, 10:13 PM

my car is just the same. i don't have a problem with it because i think i have gotten use to it. but every time my dad drives my car he says its so soft and spongy. i have new pads and brake fluid flushed.

gideon1331 · 11-08-2009, 10:40 PM

My Mother's Avalon has very spongy feeling brakes, but push that pedal down and that car STOPS. It's just how they are designed. Overboosted is the proper term. Older people like that, and that was the target market for the Avalon. They don't call it 'the best Buick GM never made' for nothin.

Jack Deth · 11-11-2009, 11:29 AM

i have been driving mine for almost a half year now. the pedal does have a weird feel to it. not so much soft or spongy. the pedal is firm, but the brakes engage slowly, making for a lot of pedal travel before the hard braking begins. when i lay on the brakes they make a grinding noise, too, but i checked and they are ok. probably ceramic pads or some such, i think.

edge10 · 11-11-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Deth

when i lay on the brakes they make a grinding noise, too, but i checked and they are ok. probably ceramic pads or some such, i think.

There is TSB on the grinding noise, the pad material was the problem. If the car was still under warranty Toyota should replace the pads. There is no safety issue mentioned in the TSB, so it looks like it is OK. Mine does this slightly also.

systematic · 05-06-2010, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blkavalon

my car is just the same. i don't have a problem with it because i think i have gotten use to it. but every time my dad drives my car he says its so soft and spongy. i have new pads and brake fluid flushed.

lol i've had mine for a few months now and had to replace master cylinder... but the softness is annoying now, my previous car had an extremely tight pedal n its a big adjustment lol... is there anyway to lessen this or will bleeding them again help any? me n my dad jus checked all pads this morning n they have plenty left...

robcam13 · 05-06-2010, 07:48 PM

i had a customer yesterday with the same complaint on a 2010 corolla with 230 miles. most toyotas have a soft pedal. u get used to it eventually.

edge10 · 05-06-2010, 08:54 PM

Could be they way the Avalon is designed too, but if I wear boots or sneakers and I my foot is not positioned more to the left of the brake pedal, my foot will hit the gas and brake at the same time. A tech on another forum suggested to clean and lube the caliper guide pins. Sticking guide pins causes either partial or no contact from one of the pads in the caliper and causes more deflection resulting in soft pedal. He also said the master cylinder usually does not go bad on these cars.

systematic · 05-06-2010, 09:14 PM

lol mine did... it got to the point where the wheels would almost lock... i went to 3 different places all said master cylinder bleed circuit clogged, i thought i needed new pads cuz of that but they are good... maybe it'll jus take a lil while to get used to it... meanwhile i'll have them bled n maybe change fluid all together jus to be safe... and what color is DOT3 fluid?

robcam13 · 05-07-2010, 06:36 PM

dot 3 is light brown color