Tacoma Brakes-All or Nothing

Hi,
I am new to the forum...have a 2006 Tacoma Crew Cab

I have read several postings regarding "mushy brakes"...but I seem to have the opposite problem. When I press down a couple inches on the brake, there is no gradual stopping power...then I hit a certain point...and the brakes nearly lock up. It is like "all or nothing".

Is this common with Tacoma's, or is there a fix?

Thanks

 

how much life is left on your pads? does the truck pull to one side or the other when stopping?
edit: welcome btw

 

Check pad wear first, then fluid level and quality.
How many miles on them?

 

Thanks for the responses. I just purchased the truck, and it has 70000 miles...not sure if the brakes have been worked on. The truck does not pull to one side when stopping. I will check the wear on the brake pads as well as the adjustment on the rear drums.

 

At 70,000 + miles you need to flush all the fluid out and get some good stuff in there.
Brake fluid is one of the most neglected items on all vehicles
Being in a higher humidity climate will also affect the fluid as it absorbs moisture from the air quicker.
Start there and at least check the pads to see if they are worn too much or ???

 

I need to check my brakes as well, I have to apply quite a bit of pressure to get my truck to slow down and stop. So I probably need to flush my system with 64k miles on it.

 

When you say...*nearly lock up* - is that enough for your ABS to come on?

Here's something to try:

While parked (engine running), step on the brakes pretty hard till the pedal bottoms out. Does the pedal 'stay there' or does it continue to creep down as you press on it?

 

Further explanation on "Nearly lock up"...
I do not press hard enough for the ABS brakes to kick in. (I know they work because I drive in snow)

The brakes just do not seem to have any "gradual" pressure...
Based on other comments on this forum, I have pressed the brake pedal, then turned the key to the on position...and I then feel the pedal go further.

I will also test as follows to see if the brake pedal continues to creep down:While parked (engine running), step on the brakes pretty hard till the pedal bottoms out.

 

Same brake situation with my 2010 since new. At times with light braking you can feel the bite but many times it feels like nothing. There's barely any feel to the brake pedal that tells you it's grabbing. That is my major pet peeve with the truck. If your behind me, you will always notice the jerky stop.

If anybody have a solution to this please share. In the mean time I just ordered some ebc brake pads and see if that gives me better brake feedback.

 

I've seen worn out front pads do this before. They just grab hard or not hard enough. Do they act the same when you heat the pads up as well? (ride the pedal for a short while).. Make sure the rears are adjusted close also, get them working sooner, rather than later when stopping. Changing the fluid can't hurt, but it sounds like something different to me.

 

This is normal..... That's the brake booster applying 'boost' (or assist) to the pedal.