Apparently Tacomas don't use rear brakes….

got my rear shoes replaced and rotors turned about a month ago from the dealership. i noticed the rear brakes “grabbing” while braking almost immediately after i had left and took it back and explained while braking the truck bed shakes all crazy. they said it wasnt the rear brakes because theyre drums and tacomas dont use the rear brakes while braking which i think is complete BS. ITS NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. they claimed they re surfaced one side and i was on my way. safe to say its doing it again and even worse than before, also making a loud squeaking sound from the RR drum while coming to a stop. taking it back tomorrow and going to have a manager ride with me. they also blamed the front brakes which are at 7mm and i changed them less than a year ago. ive had no issues with the rear brakes until now. i only serviced them cause they were recommended when i hit 100k miles.

 

Lift the rear and spin the tires. They should spin relatively freely. I suspect the adjusters need adjusting. With the wheels off you should only feel a very slight drag inside the drums, if any. I just did my rears and had the opposite effect - my adjusters were too loose and had to open them up a bit.

An easier test - when you apply the parking brake, does it grab right away? If so, the adjusters are too opened.

 

yes sir grabs right away and they keep saying the truck doesnt utilize the rear brakes while stopping

 

The front brakes do about 75-80% of the work, but the rear brakes do assist. Depending on how you drive you probably didn't need anything but an inspection at 100,000. I had new pads put on my rears at just under 200,000. The drums didn't need anything done to them.

Something isn't adjusted right.

 

Did they tell you what they ARE used for?

What a bunch of bs.

 

Kinda hard to understand, do you think they are over adjusted?

I just installed a new set today (at a dealer lol) and I adjusted them to about 6 clicks on the pull style ebrake. You can't really sense them working, you just get a firm pedal and they hold on steep hills with the brake engaged.

You can't install tacoma shoes in the wrong direction, each shoe can only be installed one way. Maybe they messed up the hardware, or a spring is weak. Hopefully you get this fixed.

 

they said used for parking brake only lol its even on the reciept they give you when u pay and leave

 

yes, I totally agree with you. I’m pretty sure it is the hardware just because when I am breaking, it seems like the sound of those little springs that push the shoes apart are squeaking really loud and it’s definitely on the right rear wheel but I took it in a while ago and they said that it was the front brakes when clearly it’s the rear.

 

This was a Toyota Dealership?

 

YES SIR. i used to work there years ago too.

 

Where the techs young?

 

I honestly have no idea I never saw or met with them. I just had the great pleasure of dealing with an advisor that didnt seem to care

 

You have to watch the service advisors to…they’ll try to use aftermarket stuff to make them more money… not saying they did that but you gotta watch them

 

If the parking brake grabs by the 1st click, I strongly suspect the adjusters are too opened - meaning, they are spreading the shoes apart too much and need to be closed a couple clicks or so. The parking brake pedal should go down about 2-3 clicks, or about 1/3 of the way down; I would accept half way down. I am not 100% sure how the self adjusting mechanism works on the Tacomas; traditionally, brake shoes self adjust if the adjusters are closed too much, meaning if the shoes are too loose. But, they won't loosened if too tight except by wear/tear which would shorten their life, but could also overheat the rear brakes.

 

They're blowing smoke. Somebody botched the drums on the lathe and it's causing a severe pulsation. Sounds like you've given them several chances to fix it and now they're making shit up. Next conversation is you bringing them a bill for reimbursement after you have a different shop fix it properly. It might need new drums

 

When you load down the truck or hook up a trailer, the rear brakes do a lot more work than that.
I would never let them touch my truck again after hearing them claim that “the rear brakes are for parking only” or some such hogshit.

they probably botched the resurfacing which is suspect anyway. Do dealers have their own lathe? I would pay less for a new drum than for machine shop labor to get one resurfaced…

 

And them actually paying it is pure fantasy

 

That is a load of BS. The technicians must have never worked on drums before as they probably only work on rear rotors in small cars or on newer tundras. The shoes on those are only for parking brakes.

 

As soon as somebody start talking about resurfacing a drum I'm shaking my head. Either reuse it or replace it, it's not 1989 anymore.