Since 2015 I have had to replace my front left brake caliper 3 times and my front right caliper twice. Roughly once per year each one will go bad with apparently the pistons not releasing which causes moderate to heavy front end vibration in whichever wheel the caliper is sticking. The new caliper takes care of the issue and is fine for approximately 10,000 plus miles when it will do it again. Both brake hoses have also been replaced. The ABS light is on and my mechanic said the diagnosis did not give a definitive reason for what may be wrong with the ABS system. My wonder is if there is something wrong with the ABS system that is causing the brake calipers to go bad annually or if this could be caused by another issue. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Did your mechanic replaced with an OEM caliper?Did the mechanic performed a complete brake fluid flush?Old brake fluid will wear out the internal parts of the brake system much faster than brand new fluid.Corrosion(because brake fluid is hydroscopic) can start to form on the caliper pistons and eventually will seize in its bore.
Thanks for the advice.
The new calipers were aftermarket I imagine.
I have not had the brake fluid flushed so that is a good idea.
I believe I will try that.
Definitely a puzzle and cause for concern. Extraordinarily heavy use of the brakes? Driving frequently on long steep mountain down-hills or just a driving style that applies the brakes a lot. I quite often see drivers ahead of me in urban-type driving that are applying the brakes 10 or 15 times over the course of a couple of miles between stoplights while I only apply them once, gently as I approach the light. Overheating the brakes can damage the calipers. If not that, unlucky and getting defective calipers or maybe the wrong part number for the caliper is being installed, or there’s something wrong with the mounting brackets or bolts. Something bent in other words. Has the vehicle ever been in an accident?
ABS problems usually require a factory scan tool to solve. Not following the factory recommended ABS bleed procedure is pretty common and can lead to weird symptoms.
That ABS fault is the first thing to resolve. My hunch is there’s air in some of the hydraulic lines and it is or was also in the ABS control unit.
Thanks for the input. Good things to give thought to.
I’d consider myself a normal brake user with nothing unusual or any type of over-use and vehicle has not been in an accident as far as I can determine.
The new calipers installed have matched up with the original ones but the bleeding part could be an issue.
The thoughts on the brackets and inspecting to make sure nothing is bent or out of place would be a good next step.
Thank you for the input also.
I have put off the ABS diagnosis at the local dealer due to the $95.00 cost but that makes sense and this is something I need to get checked.
The calipers have cost much more than that.
I am not very knowledgeable on the ABS system but my mechanic said something about wheel speed sensors…any thoughts on that?