I have a 2002 Toyota Camry with ~103k miles. It just passed state inspection at the dealer a few months back. When I come to a complete stop (while pressing the brake slowly) I hear a single metallic pop from the front right side. Is this something serious? I don’t hear the noise when going over bumps or on rough roads.
There are quite a few things that can go pop up there. Your best bet is to have a good local front end/alignment shop look things over.
Does it happen every time?
Does it matter how fast you are going?
Does turning the wheel slightly to either side while stopping have any effect?
When was your last brake service performed? Who did it?
It happens maybe about 90% of the time.
I’ve only noticed it when I am coming to a stop from about 25mph and it always happens when I’m almost to a complete stop.
I have not tried turning the wheel.
My last break service was performed a few months ago by the dealer.
The good news is it is fairly repeatable. The bad news is the speed required to produce the problem will make it difficult to diagnose at home. Based on your feedback, I’d be inclined to either take it back to the dealer that did the brake work or to a front end shop as cigroller suggested. They can run the car on the road and verify the pop then inspect it on the lift or perhaps run it on a mill to see if the problem can be isolated in the shop. Could be a sticking caliper/pad or some worn suspension/steering component.
One final thought, try repeatedly pushing down on the front end of the vehicle and releasing it to simulate the nose dipping on deceleration. Does it pop then?
It does not pop when I push down on the front end…I’m guessing this most likely isolates it as a sticking caliper/pad?
The dealer said the pads needed sanding and the rotors resurfaced because they are rusty. Does this sound like that would fix the problem?