What would cause a break pedal to pulsate (not like ABS, real slow) and the steering wheel to shake when coming to a slow stop? Warped rotors?

Hi Adam,,, does the pulsation frequency change with speed when you apply the brakes ? Warped rotors are usually the culprit !

Geo

George,
Yes...as the car gets slower, the pulsating is slower.

What causes rotors to warp? Heat?

They have 20,000 miles on them. Is that typical?

20k miles is not a lot,,, what kind of car is it ? And heat is usually the culprit most of the times

It's a 2001 Pathfinder LE.
Could this be a warranty item or "normal wear and tear"?

Adam,

I've been told that another contributing cause to rotors warping is the over tightening of lug nuts. If they're all not wrenched to the same torque setting, or wrenched too much, it can hurt the longevity of the rotor.

Any truth to that George?

Jim O.

Looks like George and Adam have this one under control, I would have 1st guessed also rotors, but 20K miles is pretty low, unless maybe they have been "leaned" on really hard. I also might look at the brake pads, this could also be a problem. I would check into the warrenty deal, only 20K and 2001, why not check and see, it would be free and even if its not they will probally tell you what the real problem is, then deceide if you want to get it fixed at the dealer.

Dave
Mr69vett

Adam ,,Dave makes a good point about the warranty and I would certainly check it out ! Also Jim O is also right about the torque and tightening sequence causing these types of symptoms .

Geo

|UPDATED|3/7/02 8:34:25 PM|/UPDATED|

Thanks gang!
I will call the dealer, tomorrow.