New Truck: ABS Brakes don't seem to work right.

I purchased a new 2012 Tacoma earlier this month and it has less than 1000 miles. I've driven several cars and trucks with Anti-Lock Brakes but didn't notice it during the test drive but my Tacoma seems to engage the anti-lock brakes even on dry pavement and suddenly stop my truck instead of gradually stopping it. I'm quite sure this isn't normal and was wondering if others have had this problem with the ABS system on their Tacoma. With the abrupt stop I'm quite sure cars in front of me think I'm about to rear-end them and I've had motorists behind me get angry for abruptly stopping. It seems the anti-lock brakes engage unexpectedly and when not needed such as at low speeds on dry pavement. In addition, the engine downshifts which makes stops even more sudden. I'm taking my truck into the dealer but with such few miles I'm concerned since it is unusual to have a problem with a component so early. I've even tried slowing down more to make a smooth stop but it is unpredictable when the ABS will kick in and it really shouldn't kick in on dry pavement when you are driving at slow speeds. The brakes seem very sensitive and it's hard to predict when the brakes will stop but they usually abruptly stop causing the truck to lurch forward as if I was going a much faster speed and hit the brakes. I'm a new Toyota owner and this is the first brand new car I have purchased and have drove ABS cars and trucks since the mid-90s. What could be wrong with my brakes?

 

It sounds more like a mechanical issue with your brakes than ABS related. ABS is oversensitive on these trucks, IMHO, at least off pavement, but it prevents abrupt stops when that happens. First step, revisit your dealer, and have them check it out.

 

That isn't the ABS System doing that.

The ABS System will pulse the brakes when it senses a lockup of a wheel starting via the speed sensors for each wheel. It will not do what you describe, ever. Worst case failure of the ABS Brake System you will just have " Regular Power Assisted Brakes ".

You have something else going on.

 

It's called Brake Assist. If the truck thinks that you're doing a panic stop, it'll go for max braking all on its own. To stop that, you can back off the brakes a bit, and it should revert to normal braking based on how hard you're on the pedal.

There have been studies suggesting that many people who hit the brakes in a panic stop don't hit the brakes hard enough, or are spooked a bit by the feeling of ABS and back off too much. So if you hit the brakes hard enough, or jump on them quickly (rather than progressively increasing braking), the Brake Assist system may take over and go for maximum braking. It's all controlled by some complex code in the vehicle's computer system.

My suggestion: find an empty parking lot, and play with it a bit. I'd bet that if you adopt a progressive braking style, Brake Assist will be less likely to engage than if you jump on them hard and fast. I ride motorcycles, and the idea there is referred to as squeezing the brakes, rather than grabbing the brakes. On a motorcycle, that can mean the difference between remaining upright or finding yourself with road rash. In a vehicle with brake assist, squeezing can help avoid brake assist. But if you play with it and think that something is definitely wrong, take it in and have it looked at.

 

The Brake Assist System uses engine braking by gearing down. It doesn't engage the brakes " all by itself ".

 

I never said it engaged the brakes all by itself. I said that if the vehicle believes you're going for a panic stop (in other words you've slammed on the brakes), it'll go for maximum braking on it's own.

From Toyota's website on their safety systems:

Brake Assist is designed to detect sudden or “panic” braking and adds the full pressure needed to help prevent a collision.

If something rolls out into the street in front of a vehicle, there’s only a split second to react.

Because the reaction time is so short before the driver hits the brakes, not enough pressure may be applied. As a result, the car may not stop in time.

But in a Toyota, if a driver fails to apply enough pressure to the brake, the Brake Assist sensors will detect this sudden or “panic” braking and add pressure. This additional pressure can help the driver avoid hitting the object.

http://www.toyota.com/safety/star-safety-system/brake-assist.html

 

Sorry it took so long to post back. I did take it to a dealer and they found nothing wrong. I got use to the brakes and they worked well in the snow. However today on dry pavement I had a car pull out in front of me and when I slammed on the brakes my tires squealed and I nearly skidded into the car and didn't feel any pulsating from the brakes as you normally do in an ABS system and believe my anti-lock brakes locked up. The only other explanation would be that I may have slightly swerved causing the skid from making a sharp, sudden turn. If the anti-lock brakes did indeed lock up, what would most likely be the cause of such a lock up. I was going about 30 MPH and wasn't carrying or towing any heavy payload that would make it harder to stop.

 

When I purchased my first 4x4 in '89, I asked the salesman if it had ABS. He replied, "no, you can't use ABS on a 4x4". In '05, I purchased a new 4x4, which came with ABS. When off roading, the brakes would not work because of the ABS system as some wheels were off the ground. The next year, I had problems stopping in the snow. I brought the vehicle into the dealership and they could find no problems! Eventually, I added the ABS defeat mod that could be activated in 4x4 mode. It worked great!

Late last year, I was in an accident that totaled my '05 truck because the air bags deployed. I encountered a stopped vehicle in the HOV lane and did a panic stop. Although the vehicle is supposed to be able to stop in 126 feet, when the vehicle got down to 25 mph, it began to speed up and hit the vehicle in front of me. I do not know if the problem was an ABS problem, or that mysterious acceleration problem that I brought the vehicle in for the recall.

I contacted the Toyota Regional Office to ask them to examine the vehicle, but they declined. I have since filed a complaint with the US DOT NHTSA. Has anyone else experienced this type of system failure?

 

My 13' is similar to what the OP is describing but not that extreme. The brakes are what I describe as all or nothing, either their locked up or barley engaging with not much in between. I've had it for about 4 months and I'm still getting used to it, occasionally I will lock them up by accident if I'm not paying attention. I love my Tacoma but overall it has a lot more shortfalls than I was expecting.

 

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners...Category=R&searchCriteria.nhtsa_ids=14V054000

The NTSB announced a recall last month for certain Tacoma models. If you're having braking issues, talk to your stealership and see if there is a TSB for this yet. I too have a 12 but no issues regarding my brakes. Toyota should be contacting registered owners with affected vehicles. Never hurts to mention this on your next visit.

-J

 

There seems to be a lot of issues with the Taco ABS system. I would suggest that anyone who has experience problems to file a complaint with the NHTSA. If they get enough complaints, they will investigate the problem. This could be a life-saving action! The complaint page is located at: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml

I've filed mine!

 

Thank you so much for this thread. I was in a serious accident yesterday. I always believed the system that automatically deployed on my vehicle was a safety feature that was normal. Yesterday my opinion changed because the deployment resulted in my losing control of my vehicle in the rain. I hydroplaned after it engaged and my truck flipped after hitting the Highway median. I walked away without a scratch and today my body is sore, but my seat belt and airbags that deployed saved my life. Thank you so much for helping me understand the cause of my accident. If the system on my truck had not randomly deployed I would have never hydroplaned on the wet road. Luckily a Border Patrol agent had passed me moments before and verified to the CHP that I was not speeding or driving erratically. Thank you again for posting in this thread. I have filed my complaint with the NHTSA and followed the link to the recall notice. I also purchased my new vehicle in October of 2012.

 

I've got a 2013 TRD Off Road 4th double cab short bed that's doing this. As a CHP officer, I'm used to hard braking and know very well what ABS feels like. This is definitely NOT an ABS problem. I'm taking mine in to the dealership Monday, and I'm not taking no for an answer. My wife drives this truck occasionally, and something I might recover from would probably cause her to crash. It's a major safety concern, and I'm not going to let the dealership shrug it's shoulders and act like there's nothing wrong. There are no recalls for my VIN yet.

 

2 things to note:

1) the tacoma has the best brakes of any pickup. they will take light pedal to stop you quick

2) there is a current tacoma recall to reflash the brake/skid control
ecu...enter your VIN into the toyota recall site to see if you are affected

 

^this is exactly why I am going to pop a gasket on this forum ...again

1) not really. NTSB testing has proven otherwise. ymmv

2) no, there is a new TSB.

 

I'm the OP and wanted to update everyone on what all has happened since my last post. I don't see the post but someone suggested I go into a parking lot with no traffic or cars to hit, accelerate to highway speeds and hit the brakes hard. This will help calibrate the ABS system. This didn't work, in fact I attracted the attention of a cop one time when I was doing this in a parking lot since my brakes locked up. It seems that my brakes or inconsistent such as some times I seem to have to push on the brakes harder but be careful not to push too hard to actually lock them up. Prior to the announcement of the recall I talked to the dealer about this and was told that it's normal and according the the NHTSA and Toyota websites, my particular taco isn't part of the recall. Is it possible that the recall could be expanded? As one person mentioned in a post, it sounds like it isn't just the ABS system but locking brakes are part of the issues I'm having in addition to inconsistent braking such as the truck suddenly stopping shorter than normal or it feels like I'm not going to be able to stop at all. Another mechanic recommended what a poster on here did, go into a safe parking lot and hit the brakes after accelerating to highway speeds. Does anyone else have suggestions or success stories of talking to the dealer to fix it. There's no way that this is normal and this is the only vehicle I've driven where it seemed I had to take extra effort to push on the brakes and be careful not to push too hard since it will suddenly lock up my brakes. I've noticed that the rear brakes will sometime lock up but not the front brakes which may be because I don't have any weight in the back.

 

Highway speeds in a parking lot?

It took me a long time to get used to the power assist in my 15. Took a few rounds of skidding to a stop on dirt roads to see if the ABS was even working, because I've skidded with tires squealing a few times on dry pavement. I'm not sure what's going on, and definitely not confident in the ABS system. Maybe it's working but like others have said, it doesn't feel like ABS systems in any other car I've driven - including my 1st gen.

 

OP updates the OP almost four years later and it's his 4th post...

 

I originally came upon this site when researching my problem four years ago. Sorry I don't often go to truck forums and forgot that I had an account on this site. Unfortunately I still have the problem and have been told that this is normal. I would say that this is the only complaint I have about my truck and don't have any other complaints about this truck. It is a step from the truck I traded in for it that had numerous electrical, transmission, and build quality problems. It would be great if I could fix this issue. I have never had a vehicle that had a spongy brake pedal, inconsistent stopping distances, and the brakes locking up when my vehicle is equipped with ABS. Other cars I can easily tell when the ABS system is engaging but most of the time it feels like the ABS isn't doing anything. I also have never had a vehicle with touchy brakes. I'll try to post more often than 4 years with only 4 posts.