Brakes Squeaking - Is it common?

Yup same thing started happening to my '14 around 8k. Have 13k on it now and will have the dealer check it out for when I go in at the 15k mark. Glad to see it's not just me

 

I get a slight brake squeal when braking gently at low speeds while four wheeling. This is with the stock pads. I've never noticed it on the street.

If you're getting brake squeal on the street on stock pads, try braking very hard from 60-20 mph several times, don't come to a full stop, then drive till your brakes cool and see if the squeal is still there.

 

Both my 2011 and 2007 did this shortly after they were brand new. I complained to my service advisor about it on my 2011 and they resurfaced the drums (under warranty) and it went away for a while; but as I suspected it came back shortly after. I think it's due to lower quality pads and excessive buildup on and in the drums. It still pisses me off that we even have drum brakes on these trucks, drum brakes are a ridiculous cheapo alternative...but that's a rant for another time. When I changed the pads on my 07 with aftermarket it completely went away and has never happened again in 20k miles, and my 2011 has not needed new pads yet so it still does it.

 

Braking power is biased toward the front. If you're going slow, I'm guessing you're being pretty light on the brake pedal since hard on the pedal would stop you too fast to notice a squeak.

Braking power heavy toward the front and lighter toward the rear combined with a light application of the pedal will give you pretty light pressure at the rear brakes (possibly moreso since it's drums in the back instead of discs), which will give you a squeaky brake with pretty much any pad. If the squeaking on light braking comes from the front, it may mean your pads are getting near needing replacement from normal wear.

For the most part, there's no reason to worry about squeaking brakes unless it's happening when you're off the pedal altogether, in which case your front pads are probably worn out, or you may have a misaligned caliper. If the brakes squeak under hard braking, you might want to get them looked at but even then it's often going to be nothing serious.

 

Did you go to the future for that?

 

I've already faught Toyota once, I'll do it again haha I understand where you're coming from, "do it yourself if you want it done right". But it's the principle though, a brand new (less than 10k miles in my eyes) truck shouldn't have an issue. I don't care if it's because they use crappy OEM parts, until this truck is out of warranty, it should run like I just drove it off the lot. As long as I, the owner, take care of the truck, and don't abuse it, the dealership should keep it running as close to perfect as possible. That's what's the warranty is for, if that's not what it is and I void having them do work on my truck at my own expense then what's the point in having and paying for a warranty

 

My 2013 didn't squeal though, and it was a lemon. And I believe that any properly built and lubricated mechanical system shouldn't squeak or squeal. I don't buy a new truck to hear it squeak and creak and make uncommon noises. And even the tundra or any other truck with the same brake set up doesn't have this issue... So why should tacoma owners have to deal with it

 

i have a 2013 that has around 34k miles on it now. The breaks have squealed since 1k miles!!!!! I will never purchase these same brake pads!

 

brakes work by two parts rubbing together. If the force pressing them together is soft enough just about any brake will squeak some. It's not the moving parts of the mechanism, the squeak is coming from the low-pressure contact of the fixed lining (shoe or pad) and the moving component (drum or rotor).

You could try adjusting your back brakes by doing a few quick stops while reversing, usually they self-adjust from stopping while backing up. There may be a manual adjustment knob as well (the '74 Ford I had in HS had one, I haven't looked for such a feature on either of the Tacomas I've bought in the last 18 years though and my other car has 4-wheel discs).

 

Anyone found the fix for this? My 08 sounds like a bus when coming to a stop. The sound changes sometimes its in the front and sometimes the rear or sometimes both. I might be able to record later on and upload it on here.

 

Mine did it yesterday in the rain. Combination of low speeds and moisture seem to cause it.

 

Ah it's so annoying when I brake with my windows down I feel like everybody can hear it lol