Got a 2012 Honda Pilot with 37k miles on it. When I am going fast (+60) mph and step on the brakes I get a vibration/shimmy. I think I've got a warped rotor (or two) on the front end. What say you experts?

Braking at lower speeds the vibration/shimmy is much lower frequency.

I would not think rotors would warp at only 37k miles. 'specially on a Honda.

Sounds like it. Doubly sure if you also feel a "throbbing" in the pedal. Ought to be in warranty, though.

Brake pulsations can be caused by several things uneven lugnut torque, too much heat and hard braking. It can happen at any mileage, torque lugnuts and downshift on long downhill drives, and don't hit the brakes hard on stops.

The symptom of warped rotors is at slow speed when you're coming to a stop. It "pulses". That's how it is on my truck but ... obviously it's not a Honda Pilot.

Is the "shimmy" something you can feel in the steering wheel?

More common than not on the Japanese SUV's. The brakes are pretty small on most of them and they overheat very easily. Something the Japanese manufacturers still have to learn from the Europeans is make them bigger. Slotted rotors and better pads like EBC or Hawk will help prevent this if you are an aggressive driver.

Yes. I can feel it in the steering wheel. It twists back and forth slightly.

That's a sign of something other than warped rotors. The first thing I'd check is the lug nuts.

If you have a loose wheel it will shimmy and vibrate when applying the brakes. If that's not it ... take it to a shop and have them inspect the steering/suspension.

It's rotors. If you get on them early, they can still turn them again. I have an MDX and I usuallt have to turn the rotors about once a year and replace them every 2-3 years.

I agree it's sounds like rotors. Bad shocks, ball joints, etc. can also contribute to feeling like this.

I messed up my fronts on a 4runner coming down out of the mountains with it after I first bought it. The fronts do most of the braking, and with an auto trans the engine braking wasn't helping enough. The solution was to get drilled and slotted aftermarket rotors. I first tried to replace them with standard rotors and even being aware of the issue and using the trans harder they still warped again. The drilled & slotted rotors dissipate heat much better.

Not familiar with Honda at all but I had one switchback I used regularly that I had to come down in in low range to keep from overheating the brakes. I tried it once in a Pontiac Grand Am & with the trans in 1st it still wasn't enough. The brakes were smoking & mushy and I was smoking hot too. If a Pilot has choices downshifting will help, but invest in better rotors & pads.

I think there is a high probability that it is your rotors. Probably left the factory less then perfect. Had it happen to me on a new Toyota Avalon.

Rotor Pro gets good reviews. They will slot or drill, or do both.

I am thinking about trying them on my F250.

It sure ain't a warranty item. Wheels not torqued right after new tires, rotation, or brake job. Heat during braking compounds the problem. Did you have a brake job and not machine the rotors?

Nope. Brand new rig. Just lube, oil, filter and drive.

Hondas' have crappy brakes. The dealer machined my rotors and replaced the pads under warranty at 30K but they are starting to have problems again.

My truck weighs 7600 pounds and the original rotors lasted 110,000 miles. My second set of rotors have 50,000 miles on them and I just upgraded my brake pads. There was no need to turn the rotors. So, what's the secret to long rotor life? Provided your calipers are in good operating condition with slide pins and bores that are clean and lubed properly, then the main thing to focus on is never - under any circumstances - let this tool install your lug nuts:



There is no way to apply an even torque value to each of the lug nuts (outside of torque tubes) with an impact wrench. Uneven torque on the lug nuts means uneven stress on the rotors, which eventually leads to rotor hot spots and gives you the pulsation you feel when braking. Turning the rotors and then reinstalling them with an impact wrench will lead to even shorter rotor life, because now the rotors are thinner and less able to dissipate heat.

There is only one solution if you want long rotor life and that is to follow the manufacturer's torque value for your lug nuts and install them evenly and in a star pattern using a torque wrench. If you can find a shop that will do that for you that's great, but you're more likely going to have to purchase a torque wrench and keep it in the vehicle and put the final torque value on your lug nuts yourself. The alternative is continuous brake jobs. The torque wrench is a much cheaper option.

Has anyone ever had a vehicle with warped rotors that did not pulsate when coming to a stop?

To me, that's the one true sign of a warped rotor(s).



I haven't driven every type of vehicle out there with a warped rotor(s) so I dunno ... ???

Wife's 06 Kia Sorento did the same. When we took it in, they knew right away that they had a bad batch of rotors. Got the whole mess replaced under warranty with no troubles since. I just did my F150 fronts, the rotors had been turned, wore more. and were warped. New rotors need to be broken in, getting slightly hot and then cooling, same as tempering a new pot belly stove, or skillet. As for Honda having trouble, you have more faith in their engineers/bean counters than I do. There is some corner cut on everything made, we just have to know of it, and live with it.

I bought a used 2010 Honda Accord w/ 21K miles from a dealer and the rotors and pads were shot. Made him turn the rotors and replace the pads before the deal was made.

Wife's car, so I hardly drive it, but I did the other day and noticed the brakes need servicing again, about 60k.

After reading the post, I'm gonna look at aftermarket rotors!

I haven't let or had a rotor turned in 30 years.
You turn em they are going to warp.
No problems in that 30 years either for any of the cars/trucks I have owned. If the shop will not just put pads on as I want, I just move on down the road to another. Or put the pads on my self.

Turn them, get them good and thin, water does wonders to hot metal. Warped rotors.

Sounds like a warped rotors issue to me as well!

The only fix I know of is to tighten the lug nuts with a "torque stick" if you are using an impact, or a torque wrench if by hand.

Tighten the lug nuts evenly so that after the rotor gets smoking hot and cools after you shut off, get out and walk away it wont warp.

A torque stick is a POS. I've tested them against a torque wrench and they're inconsistent as hell. Came to the conclusion that if the lugnut or stud is spinning like a mofo when it hits the cone it's going to be on too tight, torque stick or not. The torque stick was invented to make the lazy technician feel better about himself.

Gotta use the torque wrench. Since I have started changing my own pads and using a torque wrench every time I change a tire I have not needed to turn a rotor.

My wife warped the rotors on her Honda. She's hard on brakes and tires.

Rotors are unsprung weight, and play havoc with ride/response. Manufacturers make them as light as possible to be competetive in the market. They warp becaue they are light, and I think they ALL warp. Warped rotors still stop the car, and that is the deal. If you are getting an inspection, they could find a warped rotor a LOT! Money maker, and a pet peeve of mine...

I put a Fram Rotor Filter on my brakes and I've never had another problem.

Had an '02 Concorde that warped rotors with startling frequency. Pedal felt fine but it would just about twist the wheel out of your hand when you applied the brakes.

Fram sucks...I only run Wix filters on my brakes.

I had an 03 Accord that ate rotors until I bought the high end rotors from Napa.

All it takes is one hard stop to warp a rotor.. It can happen within a mile of the dealership just after delivery or anytime thereafter..

Get 'em turned down before it gets worse..

You've prolly got bad front rotors. Just to be sure, put it up on a lift & spin all 4 tires. Be sure that all of the tires, especially the 2 fronts, are not bent. I they all look ok, change your 2 ft rotors & brakes.

-Ken

Last year I worked for a while in a school bus shop. We had a bus doing exactly the same thing. At high speeds, the brakes would cause a slight shimmy in the wheel and a worse one in the seat of your pants. We put on new rotors that helped but didn't entirely fix it. We ended up with new pads and cyl kits, too, before it went away.

Sounds like the anti skid computer braking system isn't working properly...

Let's not discount ethanol and/or Fram filters as the cause.

Rob,

Try cleaning and lubing the sliding surfaces the calipers ride in.

In my 01 F150 I periodically have to clean and re apply lube to the slide surfaces. I changed rotors/pads twice prematurely before I realized what was causing the issue. My wheel will shake/bounce just like you describe. It won't cost you anything try this.

Probably warped rotors, 2 choices a shop with an on car brake lathe or new rotors.(even with access to a lathe I opt for new rotors)

If you go new rotors you want to check runout to have less than .002 or you will have the same problem in a few thousand miles. As mentioned only torque wheels with a torque wrench to prevent this problem.

Very hard braking and parking the car can warp rotors, however if you drive about 10 miles after a hard braking incident the rotors cool enough to prevent warping. The warping happens because heat sinks faster where the pads rest on the rotors when stopped.

My Honda CRV eats rotors too. I've turned and replaced them twice now. I've never had to deal with that before, although I have to admit, I do replace them with the cheapest rotor I can find so that may have something to do with it.

I've also had to replace a caliper recently at 100K miles.

I think part of my problem is we let the car sit for weeks at a time and the rotors had a build up of rust on them.

Have had this happen on several cars. Always look into other causes first, but its been rotors every time on mine.

Do a search for BRAKE PAD TRANSFER.

Rotors are cheap. Buy new rotors, and new pads.

Other than extreme cases uneven lug torque is a red herring.
Likely a rotor issue but may be due to a frozen pad or some thing else going on with the caliper.
A take a apart and look solves a lot of mysteries.
If it isn't your thing bring it to some one who's is.
If still under warranty that would be the dealer.