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Rear Brakes lock up

20K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  Turborusty 
#1 ·
I've done a search and found several that have problems with their rear brakes early in the morning, or at the first few stops after they start driving.

I drove my wife's Durango this afternoon and if I don't start breaking early, I can consistently lock up the rear brakes with just a little bit of what I would call 'moderate' braking - not grandmothering up to the light, but definitely less pressure than you would have to apply if someone in front of you stopped rather quickly.

I had the front disks and pads replaced this spring, but don't really think that has anything much to do with the backs locking like this.

Any suggestions?
 
#3 ·
I have had the same problem since owning the my D.... mine is a 99 with 122k miles. it doesn't seem to happen every time but does only happen once and then works fine.
 
#4 ·
Hrmmm... yeah, I can relate to that one. Anyone seen any 4 wheel disk brake conversions / modifications being done to these things? I mean, hell right now, with the track record of the front brakes, I was kinda' hoping the rear ones would take up the slack, but that's absolutely not the case. Just wondering if 4 wheel disks would increase the braking efficiency. My luck, I'd have four black rims instead of two.
 
#5 ·
On my '03 D R/T the 4 wheel discs work great!!!!!

I think they upgraded the front calipers to twin piston units too, that's what they look like.

I've had multiple late maodel dakotas and even a '00 Durango but none of them stopped like my '03 with 4 discs.




Turborusty
 
#6 ·
I know you can take the parts from a 2003 with 4 disks and swap them.

SSBC.com makes a kit $800-900

TSMmfg.com makes a barebones kit that you add 79-85 Caddy Eldorado calipers to. $260/kit $200-400/calipers, misc brake line upgrades, etc.

I personally think the TSM kit looks good and the price doesnt hurt either. They have a Dakota testimony on the page also. Says it stops so much better.
 
#7 ·
I find the 4-wheel discs on my '03 work very well too - no complaints at all, except maybe for the OEM pads, and the fronts are gone now. No more black front rims!
 
#8 ·
triplejjjay said:
I find the 4-wheel discs on my '03 work very well too - no complaints at all, except maybe for the OEM pads, and the fronts are gone now. No more black front rims!
I have the R/T with chrome whreels so I don't get black build-up.


Turborusty
 
#9 ·
OK 5Wishes, but you'll be 4Wishes if I tell you how I had it corrected.
Anyway, I had an 84 Olds that did the same thing, my mechanic did a cleaning of the whole rear assy, stopped excellent after that.
My D stops great but the tires suck and so does the ABS system.
 
#10 ·
I think the ABS is the worst thing with the brake system on the Rango.... My truck has ALWAYS stopped well!!!
 
#11 ·
MY Durango has no problems at all but my 2001 Dakota Quad cab 5.9L AWD that I just sold always had spooky brakes.
Many times even on dry pavement, if you tried to brake just slightly more than moderately, it would activate the ABS. I took it to 3 different dealers and no one found anything wrong with it. That was even with AWD too. That's just plain stupid.


Turborusty
 
#12 ·
thanks for the help guys - I have had the brakes checked out at a local shop and it's not the rear brakes after all. The right front caliper is sticking and locking up the right front wheel.

Took it back to the dealership that installed the new rotors & pads and they are going to go back in there and fix it. Refurbished calipers and no labor charge. Anyone here had any experience w/ rebuilt calipers?

I guess I jumped to conclusions about the rear brakes since I thought that the fronts should have been in pretty good shape. I'll know better next time.

BTW, my Durango is a 2001 4x4 4.7L SLT
 
#13 ·
So you are going to have to pay for a refurbished caliper??? Can they prove that they were not the ones to break it!!! I would efuse to pay for something that they broke.

I have never trusted dealerships. The OEM parts usually don't last as long, or maybe it is the installers doing something wrong.. IMO
 
#14 ·
Neither do I, but I guess I am considering myself lucky that they aren't trying to stick me with two sets of calipers, rotor, pads, new lines, etc...

The dealership won't be digging into the job until middle of this week, so I should know more in a day or two. Thanks for the input. I've always been a firm believer that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself. Unfourtunately, I don't have the know-how (or an understanding wife ) to start monkeying with my brakes.
 
#15 ·
Hey my brakes do the same thing. It seems as if the front brakes are the ones to lock up on mine. But on the '98s do the front brakes even have ABS?? It is very easy to lock up my brakes in the snow....scary easy. And several times when someone or something has caused me to abruptly apply heavy braking pressure the tires have skidded loudly on the pavement. A vehicle with a working ABS system shouldn't do that I would think.
 
#16 ·
DodgeEnthusiast, I have a 98 that has the exact same problem. Im not sure what causes it yet, but im sure trying. I know mine only has the 2wheel rear ABS. No front wheel ABS. I cant ever get the rears to lock up but like you said, the fronts lock up and skid during even a moderate stop, and on wet or snowy roads...you better get out of my way, cause I have zero control over the Durango stopping.

Ive got all new rotors, pads, calipers within last year. Fluid system flushed within months. My brake pedal seems kinda spongy too i think, goes all the way to the floor in a hard braking. Not sure why? I hate the thought of having to take it to another shop and tell them I have no clue whats wrong and please find out! Thats when you get taken for hundreds of dollars that i dont have! Last time it only cost me $80, but it obviously didnt solve my problem, either.
 
#17 ·
Leviticus said:
DodgeEnthusiast, I have a 98 that has the exact same problem. Im not sure what causes it yet, but im sure trying. I know mine only has the 2wheel rear ABS. No front wheel ABS. I cant ever get the rears to lock up but like you said, the fronts lock up and skid during even a moderate stop, and on wet or snowy roads...you better get out of my way, cause I have zero control over the Durango stopping.
The only ones that have front and rear ABS are the Durangos with disc brakes all around. That is why you can lock the fronts and not the rears. If you have drum brakes, you have rear wheel ABS (RWAL or rear wheel anti-lock brakes).
 
G
#18 ·
The D is the only vehicle that I have heard of that has rear ABS only :huh: . Just seems like such a strange setup. The front brakes do 70-80 % of the braking so it would have been better IMO to put the ABS on the fronts.
 
#19 ·
front brakes lock up at low speed, the other day almost hit a taxi from behind bc of that, everyone locked at me like whats this guy problem lol
 
#20 ·
katcoota: I don't know what DC was thinking when they designed the D's braking system. Most will say that it is grossly underpowered for such a large vehicle and it seems like a lot of trouble with them locking up as well.

99surangoslt: I know how you feel. A couple of times I have hit my brakes with moderate pressure only to hear them scream like someone was taking a knife to them. One time I was in a section of road under construction and they for some reason made the cones take you on a 90 degree turn on a perfectly straight road. I didn't know why the hell there were cones directly in front of me, hit my brakes, and came to a screaching halt. I looked around to see if anyone was watching and slowly backed up and turned the right direction. :crazy:
 
#21 ·
Unnamed said:
The only ones that have front and rear ABS are the Durangos with disc brakes all around. That is why you can lock the fronts and not the rears. If you have drum brakes, you have rear wheel ABS (RWAL or rear wheel anti-lock brakes).

That's wierd.........Why would my '01 Dakota have 4 wheel ABS and the Durangos only have rear? That's not logical to me. And the Dak had disc/drum.

Now my '03 Durango has great brakes, but then again, it does have the 4 wheel discs with twin piston calipers in front. Thy're the best I've had on any of my Dakotas or Durangos........well, besides my '04Gen II, it has monster brakes that stopped like crazy!!!!!!!!!!




Turborusty
 
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