'02 Sonata 4-cyl brake noises

Discussion in 'Hyundai Sonata' started by tedkord, Jul 31, 2005.

  1. tedkord

    tedkord Guest

    I bought this car used with 16,000 miles about 4 months ago
    as a cheap drive to work, that could comfortably carry the
    family places if the minivan were in the shop. So far I'm
    happy with it except for the brakes.

    The rear brakes squeal fairly loudly at the end of braking.
    I had them checked out at a shop I trust not to find problems
    that don't exist, and they told me the brakes were in like
    new condition. I guess I'll just have to live with thesqueal.

    Now, the front brakes are making a noise I've never heard
    from brakes before from any other car. It's tough to hear
    unless it's quiet (no radio, no air, no radio, etc...)
    It's not metal/metal, and I checked the pads to confirm
    they're like new. It's not a squeal, either. It sounds
    almost like friction on rubber, like the sound when someone
    rubs a balloon. It's not a steady sound, but pulses, and
    slows down as the car slows down.

    I can't really describe it accurately here, but it's sort
    of "scritch scritch scritch" that slows down and drops in
    tone as the car slows, stops when I come to a full stop.

    I had the local shop check the brakes, they again found they
    were in like new condition, couldn't find any problems.
    (They also had trouble hearing it, but it was noisy there,
    and I had trouble hearing it, too.)

    Any ideas? Is this common? Might it be covered under warranty?
    Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
     
    tedkord, Jul 31, 2005
    #1
  2. tedkord

    hyundaitech Guest

    It sounds to me like everything's probably just fine like they told you.
    The sound from the front brakes you describe often occurs when there's a
    little rust on the rotors where the pads rub (quite common on a used car
    as it may have been sitting for more than a week without being driven).

    The squeal from the rear brakes is typically caused by dust buildup in the
    drums. If the shop didn't do so, you may wish to have the rear brakes
    cleaned and adjusted along with lubing the contact points on the backing
    plates. This would be considered maintenance and wouldn't be covered by
    the warranty.
     
    hyundaitech, Aug 2, 2005
    #2
  3. tedkord

    tedkord Guest


    Thanks for the reply.

    If I may ask, it sounds like the rust on the rotor must not be even,
    since the sound pulses. Will this wear the pads more quickly? Can the
    rust be cleaned off, or will I need new rotors? Or will the pads
    eventually scrub the rust off?

    Thanks for your help.
     
    tedkord, Aug 2, 2005
    #3
  4. tedkord

    hyundaitech Guest

    Could go either way on the rust. The pads could scrape it off or it could
    get underneath the surface of the rotors and ruin them. I've seen both
    cases. Time will tell. For now, keep driving. If you have any other
    braking oddities in the future have them checked.
     
    hyundaitech, Aug 2, 2005
    #4
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