kthai417

past few months i've been experience some brake issues.

- sometime when i turn the steering wheel as if im turning to park into a space, i would feel like my brakes is not fully engage or not catching ..... so when this had happened....i went and got my brakes checked out.....pads is still good. drove it for another short period of time, still notice on occassion my brakes would do the same thing when i turn to park (it almost didnt fully engaged one time and almost hit the car in front of me..yikes!). So i decided to have my front brakes pads and rotors replaced any way.

- so now, i am still experiencing the same issue, but now my ABS and VTS light is showing on my dash. The brakes seem to work fine, but somtime would make that pulsating feel on the brakes (like when the ABS become active).

note: theres no snow or rain during these driving conditions.

Im thinking its my ABS that needs to be repaired, i've never work with ABS brakes, is this a DIY or do i have to take it in to a dealership? Any ideas on what the problem is? would the brake fluid have anything to do with this issue? (i checked the fluid and it doesnt look black)

Thanks.

04 TL auto w/ 127k

Hi speed

iTrader: (3)

How many miles do you have on the brake fluid? I would have a shop look at the abs controller and fix that for you. Brakes are the most important system in the car, I would let a professional look at the car just to be safe.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ I agree with Hi Speed here....

also check the color/level of the brake fluid....also see if there is any fluid leak at the caliper....how is the pedal feel ???

Inaccurate

What tires are on the car? Are all four tires the same brand and size? Are some tires newer than other tires on the car? Do some tires have more thread depth than other tires on the car?

I engage ABS daily (on purpose for fun). I have found (the semi hard way... sweat coming from my forehead from several near misses) that having different tire diameters on the front versus the rear tires WILL produce a braking lock-out. By lock-out, I mean that the ABS will incorrectly think that the tires with the less diameter are sliding and the ABS will engage and drop the overall braking to nil.

By "different tire diameters", I mean the slightest difference as in having some tires worn down to the Wear Bars and other tires having nearly full thread depth. This is with all four tires being identical brand and size.

Once I changed my tires to have identical thread depth for all four tires, I have not had any problems. The ABS performs the way it should.

By the way, it is normal (I did not say ideal or desirable) for the TL ABS to slightly engage when simultaneously braking and turning at slow speeds (such as parking-lot speed). But, this should not produce a lock-out. At the most, you will feel the front outer tire (relative to the turning direction) slightly pulse from the ABS.

st_dot

This happens to me turning into any driveway with a slight incline. I've learned to live with it...

Inaccurate

Good point about the slight incline. I forgot to mention that.

jokerman826

were the rotors checked to see if they are warped. i have the same issues other than the lights

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Check wheel sensor/gap.

kthai417

thanks for the help guys.

im not sure how old the brake fluid is, but it doesnt look black, more like an amber color. i know it hasnt been changed for at least 25k miles.

pedal feels fine, i dont think theres a leak in brake fluid.

@ Inaccurate -- my tires are all the same brand, yokohama and is about 2 years old with 40k miles on them. now i ponder about the tires since you mentioned about the tires being worn down to the wear bar. because i took my car into discount tire (where the tires were purchased from) for a check/balance and they said one of my tire almost worn down to the wear bar. I guess i'll take it in again and see if they can replace the tires under warranty.

- when my front brakes was service, i replace both rotors and pads, no the rotors were not warped and pads still have 40-50% pad left.

@ Turbonut -- how do i check the wheel sensor/gap? or can only the shop do this service?

Thanks.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

You need the dealer equipment to check for codes, but I'd spray the sensors and encoder with brake clean to make certain that they are clean, and also the gap is .02"-.05" front and .02"-.04" rear. The gap should be correct, just try and clean them up.

kingkong_dav

you may have air in your lines, get it flushed out, i fixed my VSA problem by swapping out the front calipers