Brakes feel different after accident

Hello Everyone,

I've had this site on my computer for a while, but this is my first post since getting my Tacoma.

I purchased a 2010 Double Cab in November. Three weeks ago, I got into an accident with it. A lady basically ran a stop sign and I t-boned her Volvo. When I tried to stop, I jammed my feet down so hard on my brakes that they locked up and I couldn't release them after the crash, so the truck had to be towed.

I got the truck back on Friday. According to the body shop, the brakes basically self-corrected when they tried to move it. He said that Toyota has some sort of mechanism (a lever) for the rear brakes to keep too much fluid from going back there or something. I'm no mechanical expert so I don't know why that is. And he believes that got jammed into a locked position at impact and then self-released when they tried moving it.

It's been three weeks now since I've driven it, but the brakes feel different. I had to push further down to stop and the pedal doesn't ease back with a cushiony feel. The body shop took apart the pedal mechanism to make sure nothing was bent and I read about air in the brake lines. Does anyone else have any ideas?

The air in the line is the best thing I can find. Would that also effect the retraction of the brake pedal when I release it? Could I have lost some fluid with the extremely hard braking? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

A number of things can be going on there. Who knows what they did at the shop. Something as simple as a brake adjustment for the rear might solve the problem, a that's where I would start. It's easy and you can do it yourself. There is lots of DIY threads here on TW for that.
However it could be something a little more serious. It is possible when making an extremely hard brake application, such as the one you are talking about, can cause the rubber cups in the Master Cylinder to flip backwards. This would cause you to require more force on the brake pedal to make the same stop as before. It would also make the brakes slower to release or stick, as the cups are backwards and the brake fluid can't return to the reservoir. Body shops are not mechanic shops. So they probably don't know what the problem is and are feeding you a line to get rid of you. Best thing is to call your insurance company and tell them about you problems, and say that it feels unsafe to drive.
Sooner the better, not too much on the truck is more important than the ability to stop.
Good Luck!

 

Take it to the dealership and ask them to look at it. Don't drive around with a truck with crappy breaks.

 

I would take it back to the shop and have them go thru the brakes again...Get to a dealer if you need to.
Definitely-Call your insurance company and see what they recommend. They won't want you driving around with weak/funny brakes and if it's related to damage that occurred during the accident...Should still be covered.

 

I'm definitely going to call the body shop back tomorrow and talk it over with him. He will have no problems working on them again. He told me on Friday when I picked it up that he takes brake problems very seriously and if there's anything at all I'm not comfortable with, bring it right back to him. He definitley wasn't feeding me a line to get rid of me. He just couldn't find anything wrong with them after they self-corrected. Pretty much, I'm the only one whose going to feel if there was a difference. I've taken vehicles to him before and he is very reputable in my eyes. He's always done excellent work and guarantees all of his work for the life of the vehicle. I just didn't know if I was barking up the right tree here with the air in the lines.

 

See, now I just drove it and the braking didn't feel as bad as it did when I picked it up. It could have been just the difference of driving a rental car for three weeks and then getting into the truck. But the one thing I can't remember is the sound the pedal made when it retracted. So if some of you out there can do a test on yours for me, I'd appreciate it. Hopefully I can explain it right.

If your foot is on the brake, press down on it and then remove your foot from it; don't ease it back and off. Do you get a metal on metal "clank" sound from the brake pedal arm and whatever it is attached to underneath when it retracts? Or does it silently move back into position? I for the life of me can't recall what it did prior to the accident. I also get the clank if I just push it down a little with my hand and let go, while parked and off.

Thanks

 

Just drove it again. It feels like there's just a little play in the brake pedal; maybe a few millimeters. But just enough to retract and make a clanking sound. Can brake pedals simply be adjusted by loosening or tightening something so it retracts to a certain position?

 

Hey man what did u figure out abt ur brakes.. mine are doing the same thing. Had a small minor bump up yesterday and the brakes were locked up but by the time the tow got there they freed.. well I drove it a while and then the abs and traction control came on and the front left brake was smoking (from lock up I imagine..) the steering was also shaking some kinda bad.. I imagine from the driver front brake being locked up
.. anyway I let it sit the abs and traction control went off and the clank when u release the brake is still there

Like to know where to start..

 

last seen July 13,2013