2002 Highlander Brakes

Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
was poor at best.

At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
miles out of a set of brakes.

The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?

P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
telling me a lot of bull.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

John

Dealer maybe right. Or the dealer's service writer (aka more comissioned
salesman than mechanic) gave you a good guess. It's time to have a mechanic
rotate your tires every 5000 miles. I hate to spend money needlessly just
like you. but a mechanic that you know (and knows you) can inspect the
brakes during rotation. Sure is a good time to inspect for rapid wear.

The cause? whoever took off the old parts could make the best guess.

"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
news:vn5r1254gaase183fkhcdhlutuhurd5nt8@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
> doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
> it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
> was poor at best.
>
> At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
> up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
> still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
> power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
> dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
> to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
> front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
> disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
> said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
> of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
> miles out of a set of brakes.
>
> The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
> calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
> last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
> stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
> of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
> rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
> front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
> rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?
>
> P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
> anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
> on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
> this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
> telling me a lot of bull.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
> John[/color]

You will get no help from those in this NG. We know Toyotas will last
forever, even if you don't use them often. If you are having problem with
the brakes on the one you own it is because you do not maintain it properly.
The problem you describe only happen to other brands, particularly domestic
brands, NOT Toyotas ;)


mike hunt


"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
news:vn5r1254gaase183fkhcdhlutuhurd5nt8@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
> doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
> it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
> was poor at best.
>
> At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
> up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
> still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
> power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
> dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
> to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
> front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
> disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
> said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
> of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
> miles out of a set of brakes.
>
> The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
> calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
> last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
> stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
> of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
> rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
> front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
> rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?
>
> P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
> anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
> on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
> this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
> telling me a lot of bull.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
> John[/color]

"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
news:vn5r1254gaase183fkhcdhlutuhurd5nt8@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
> doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
> it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
> was poor at best.
>
> At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
> up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
> still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
> power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
> dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
> to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
> front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
> disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
> said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
> of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
> miles out of a set of brakes.
>
> The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
> calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
> last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
> stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
> of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
> rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
> front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
> rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?
>
> P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
> anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
> on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
> this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
> telling me a lot of bull.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
> John[/color]

The condition you're describing is usually caused by stuck caliper slide
bolts. Hopefully, the technician cleaned them up and gave them a good
coating of wheel bearing grease or anti-seize. IMO, whether the caliper
slides stick or slide freely is more dependent on environmental conditions
and luck than use. I've seen them stick on frequently driven vehicles and
on infrequently driven vehicles.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 21:23:55 -0600, "Ray O"
<rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
>news:vn5r1254gaase183fkhcdhlutuhurd5nt8@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
>> doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
>> it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
>> was poor at best.
>>
>> At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
>> up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
>> still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
>> power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
>> dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
>> to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
>> front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
>> disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
>> said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
>> of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
>> miles out of a set of brakes.
>>
>> The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
>> calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
>> last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
>> stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
>> of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
>> rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
>> front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
>> rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?
>>
>> P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
>> anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
>> on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
>> this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
>> telling me a lot of bull.
>>
>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>>
>> John[/color]
>
>The condition you're describing is usually caused by stuck caliper slide
>bolts. Hopefully, the technician cleaned them up and gave them a good
>coating of wheel bearing grease or anti-seize. IMO, whether the caliper
>slides stick or slide freely is more dependent on environmental conditions
>and luck than use. I've seen them stick on frequently driven vehicles and
>on infrequently driven vehicles.[/color]

Thanks Ray. The slide bolts were what caused the problem per the
service adviser. The tech cleaned them up and used anti-seize. I'll
keep a closer eye on this. As someone else suggested, I'll check the
brakes every time I rotate the tires. I also work with a guy who
knows exactly what to check, and he said he'll be glad to take a look
some night after work. So far, everything has been A-OK with the
Highlander. Take care everyone.

John

"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
news:q9812216c4k3gbvgivtrrs87iq73m8ahu5@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 21:23:55 -0600, "Ray O"
> <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>>"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
>>news:vn5r1254gaase183fkhcdhlutuhurd5nt8@4ax.com...[color=darkred]
>>> Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
>>> doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
>>> it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
>>> was poor at best.
>>>
>>> At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
>>> up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
>>> still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
>>> power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
>>> dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
>>> to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
>>> front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
>>> disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
>>> said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
>>> of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
>>> miles out of a set of brakes.
>>>
>>> The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
>>> calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
>>> last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
>>> stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
>>> of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
>>> rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
>>> front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
>>> rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?
>>>
>>> P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
>>> anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
>>> on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
>>> this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
>>> telling me a lot of bull.
>>>
>>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>>>
>>> John[/color]
>>
>>The condition you're describing is usually caused by stuck caliper slide
>>bolts. Hopefully, the technician cleaned them up and gave them a good
>>coating of wheel bearing grease or anti-seize. IMO, whether the caliper
>>slides stick or slide freely is more dependent on environmental conditions
>>and luck than use. I've seen them stick on frequently driven vehicles and
>>on infrequently driven vehicles.[/color]
>
> Thanks Ray. The slide bolts were what caused the problem per the
> service adviser. The tech cleaned them up and used anti-seize. I'll
> keep a closer eye on this. As someone else suggested, I'll check the
> brakes every time I rotate the tires. I also work with a guy who
> knows exactly what to check, and he said he'll be glad to take a look
> some night after work. So far, everything has been A-OK with the
> Highlander. Take care everyone.
>
> John[/color]

You're welcome! When the wheels are removed, it takes about 15 seconds to
check the brake pads. Basically you're checking for even wear on the inner
and outer pads. If one or the other is wearing more quickly, then you
probably have a stuck caliper slide.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
news:q9812216c4k3gbvgivtrrs87iq73m8ahu5@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 21:23:55 -0600, "Ray O"
> <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
>[color=green]
> >
> >"JRS" <n3ab@fast.net> wrote in message
> >news:vn5r1254gaase183fkhcdhlutuhurd5nt8@4ax.com...[color=darkred]
> >> Here's the story. I bought a 2002 Highlander V-6 new 4 years ago. It
> >> doesn't get a lot of miles on it (now has 18,000 mi). When I do drive
> >> it, it gets mostly highway miles. The stopping power of this vehicle
> >> was poor at best.
> >>
> >> At 9500 miles, my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing and chewed
> >> up the rear rotors. The dealer fixed that under warranty, but it
> >> still felt like the brake pedal had lots of travel, and the braking
> >> power of the vehicle was poor. At 15,000 miles, I was told by the
> >> dealer that my rear brakes looked like they had overheated and needed
> >> to be replaced again, along with the rear rotors. Also, they said my
> >> front calipers were seized and the front pads fell apart when
> >> disassembled. Needed new pads and rotors on the front, although they
> >> said they were able to free the front calipers. I had a fit as on all
> >> of the vehicles I drove in the past, I always got at least 50,000
> >> miles out of a set of brakes.
> >>
> >> The dealer says I do not use the vehicle enough and that is why the
> >> calipers seized and my brakes keep failing. I have to admit after the
> >> last brake job, the Highlander stops on a dime (I don't think it ever
> >> stopped this good). I find it hard to believe that I am on my 3rd set
> >> of rear brakes and rotors, and my second set of front brakes and
> >> rotors in 15,000 because I don't use the vehicle enough. I think the
> >> front calipers were messed up from new, and as a result, I cooked my
> >> rear brakes. Is the dealer correct?
> >>
> >> P.S. One of the two service advisers at the dealer said he never saw
> >> anything like this before, and he has people come in with less miles
> >> on their vehicles than mine. The other service adviser says she sees
> >> this all the time, and I need to use the vehicle more. Someone is
> >> telling me a lot of bull.
> >>
> >> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
> >>
> >> John[/color]
> >
> >The condition you're describing is usually caused by stuck caliper slide
> >bolts. Hopefully, the technician cleaned them up and gave them a good
> >coating of wheel bearing grease or anti-seize. IMO, whether the caliper
> >slides stick or slide freely is more dependent on environmental[/color][/color]
conditions[color=blue][color=green]
> >and luck than use. I've seen them stick on frequently driven vehicles[/color][/color]
and[color=blue][color=green]
> >on infrequently driven vehicles.[/color]
>
> Thanks Ray. The slide bolts were what caused the problem per the
> service adviser. The tech cleaned them up and used anti-seize. I'll
> keep a closer eye on this. As someone else suggested, I'll check the
> brakes every time I rotate the tires. I also work with a guy who
> knows exactly what to check, and he said he'll be glad to take a look
> some night after work. So far, everything has been A-OK with the
> Highlander. Take care everyone.
>
> John[/color]

I am happy you found out the weirdness, I had a 2001 that went 100,000 on
the original pads, but I am telling you this because I long ago got into a
particular habit while braking. I am old, I grew up with air-cooled VW's.
The master cylinders on those cars were not great, so I got into the habit
of coasting and pumping the brakes lightly to pump up pressure before
actually stopping. This does not mean I was always nice to my cars, a lot of
bad habits carried over, too, like in a VW, you almost always had it floored
with the old 40 HP bugs. I still do that. 8^) But when it comes to the
brakes, not having to slam them will make them last forever. I had an '87
Camry that went 266,000 on the first set of REAR brake shoes, and I got 104K
on the front pads. I am not saying you caused this problem, but thank
goodness it was resolved. I still miss the Highlander, it was a great
riding, totally utilitarian vehicle while getting good mileage and was super
reliable.