Extra loud clunking noise from underneath front of vehicle

[Louie]

Hi Guys 

Extra loud clunking noise from underneath front of vehicle when reversing from drive prior to moving off first thing in the morning after an overnight stand. . It sounds like brake calipers (guessing here) also i cannot replicate this after i have driven off. I am certain this is not suspension as car rides smoothly over unavoidable  potholes and road imperfections etc. 

[RabButler]

That will be the brakes freeing themselves from rust on the discs.

[MarcusWatson]

Agreed, happened to me the other day!

[Rambler56]

Notwithstanding frozen callipers, wasn't this issue covered in a previous thread recently, something to do with needing to 'manually' set the handbrake before switching off?

 

[Timmon]

All my cars have done this, especially during this type of  weather. It is amazing how fast the disks rust, just in a few hours, and the brake pads stick and then release suddenly when you start to move. It is when you have to rock the car to release the pads, it is more of a concern. That happens after a week or 2 between using the car, during wet weather.

[Rambler56]

Found it: TonyHSD highlighted this particular issue recently:

Hi, the only jerks you may experience with your Toyota hybrid is happening when the car had been park on uneven terrain and it’s related to the gearbox parking lock mechanism, when ICE starts the car try to moves forward and if parking lock is in odd position will produce a slight jerks and sometimes accompanied by a slight metallic thumb, there is nothing to worry about. To prevent all these from happening since you have automatic parking brake when you stop at your chosen place put the car into N while holding the brake pedal, apply parking brake manually, release the foot brake the car should make slight move or feel like it, put into P then turn off the ignition. Next time when you start your car no thumbs no jerks as the car doesn’t relayed on parking lock to hold it stationary but has been hold exclusively by the parking brake. You can try and see if it works for you, works for me  100% without automatic hand brake., old Auris hybrid. 
Regards 

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Rambler56
My copy and paste had not worked, so retried.

[CurranShelter]

On 1/25/2021 at 12:39 PM, Timmon said:

All my cars have done this, especially during this type of  weather. It is amazing how fast the disks rust, just in a few hours, and the brake pads stick and then release suddenly when you start to move. It is when you have to rock the car to release the pads, it is more of a concern. That happens after a week or 2 between using the car, during wet weather.

I'm finding this especially relevant during winter lockdown. I've always found the brakes on the Auris to stick relatively quickly, even just after a weekend of inactivity sometimes, but with a week or more of going nowhere they can stick on quite firmly, and I did have to rock it a bit to get shifting the other day. Followed by grating/grinding during rotation and noisy braking, but it did ease off fairly quickly. I hope it's not knackering up my brakes, which have lasted pretty well thus far.

[Timmon]

21 hours ago, CurranShelter said:

I'm finding this especially relevant during winter lockdown. I've always found the brakes on the Auris to stick relatively quickly, even just after a weekend of inactivity sometimes, but with a week or more of going nowhere they can stick on quite firmly, and I did have to rock it a bit to get shifting the other day. Followed by grating/grinding during rotation and noisy braking, but it did ease off fairly quickly. I hope it's not knackering up my brakes, which have lasted pretty well thus far.

I suspected when I bought the Corolla (my first hybrid) that the disks may wear prematurely due to the way the Hybrid system utilises energy recovery, rather than hard braking as with a standard ICE or Diesel. Talking to other owners, my thoughts seem to be correct, in that hybrids often suffer from disk corrosion, as the surface rust does not get cleaned off, especially if you are not a motorway driver, or are careful to slow down well before junctions etc. I'm afraid it is likely that the surface of your disks may become pitted in time, rather than just worn out. I have noticed it on my 20 month old Corolla already, especially on the back disks, which are usually the ones that gather most rust. I think a few garages will be doing brake repairs and new 12 volt batteries over the next year or so.

[TonyHSD]

Hybrids suffer from moisture getting into the sliding pins since brakes does not get hot and any water around can’t evaporate and finds its way into the pins, they get rusty and prevent pads moving freely, pads gets worn out uneven and discs pitted, and the whole brake system not as good, you can feel that when de accelerating using regenerative braking and for some reason you need to applied more brake power, you push but almost nothing happens and you push further then you glued to the windscreen, once you experience something similar and if you discs does not get cleaned after a 100 miles drive you need brake service, something I know from personal experience and I do that twice a year, spring and autumn. 👍🚗

[Louie]

Clunking now gone as weather has got slightly warmer with no intervention from me.

[Timmon]

56 minutes ago, Louie said:

Clunking now gone as weather has got slightly warmer with no intervention from me.

Let us know when it's back Louie! 

[TonyHSD]

On 2/2/2021 at 8:39 AM, Timmon said:

I suspected when I bought the Corolla (my first hybrid) that the disks may wear prematurely due to the way the Hybrid system utilises energy recovery, rather than hard braking as with a standard ICE or Diesel. Talking to other owners, my thoughts seem to be correct, in that hybrids often suffer from disk corrosion, as the surface rust does not get cleaned off, especially if you are not a motorway driver, or are careful to slow down well before junctions etc. I'm afraid it is likely that the surface of your disks may become pitted in time, rather than just worn out. I have noticed it on my 20 month old Corolla already, especially on the back disks, which are usually the ones that gather most rust. I think a few garages will be doing brake repairs and new 12 volt batteries over the next year or so.

Toyota cars can clunk from time to time and then the clunk disappear, normal perhaps some rusty brakes or hardened suspension bushes. Today I had done a nice car wash, well under wheel arches and underbody, I sprayed all suspension parts brakes everywhere, too much salt recently. My all 4 disc are now black in colour, so much rust that they look not redish or orange but properly dark like ceramic and they are only an year old🥲 now I am expecting proper clunks when I take it for a drive at the weekend. Definitely a brake lube service even might paint the discs. 

[Timmon]

I try to take the car out for a spin a couple of times a week, and did so this afternoon, last trip was Saturday. Disks were a nice terracotta colour thanks to all the rain since Saturday! But no clunk, just gravelly rasping . I usually do some hard braking when I notice this, much to the annoyance of My T which reprimands me for braking to hard, and that gets rid of the rust. If I leave the car a week with that much rust, I get the clunk.