2004 Toyota Tacoma SR5 2 w/d extra cab from North America - Comments

I bought this vehicle new and after nine moths and 11, 650 miles the brake warning light would go on when the brake was applied. The owner manual said to take the vehicle to the Toyota dealer as soon as possible. I immediately took the vehicle. The service department later let me know the brake fluid was low and they had added more to correct the problem. I asked for a reason why it was low, but was simply told the vehicle used up what it needed. I have a 1986 and 1990 Toyota pick up I bought used a few years ago and they never have required adding more brake fluid between 3,000 mile oil changes. This cost me $38 and a half day of down time. I didn't appreciate having to pay for this because in my opinion this is not a normal or routine service call. I'm concerned something might be wrong with the braking system such as the booster because this has never happened to me with a new vehicle or a used vehicle, and I have owned six new vehicles, all G.M. All I can do is hope for the best and I'll make sure to ask the dealer when I have routine oil changes done if there are any recalls?

Sometimes when a recall is issued it can take two or more years. I experienced this with my 1996 Buick Regal. It took G.M. four plus years to issue a recall for the steering repair I paid for.

You should check all fluids before going to your dealer. Also check your warranty to see if the fluids are covered.

I would also suggest to look for stains in your usual parking space. This might help pinpoint a possible leak.

I also had a Buick Regal (1993, 4-wheel disc brakes) and this car had really bad brakes. The fluid would come dark within a few months and frequently needed topping up.

If you want to be sure about your truck's brakes, have your fluid replaced and the lines properly bleeded.

All cars should have that done every few years.

Your truck's "consumption" of brake fluid is normal... as the pads and drums wear down, the fluid will naturally drop. Not a big deal; you should have popped the hood and checked it yourself. Taking it to the dealer for anything other than warranty issues is an invitation to get ripped off, as you did.

Well, that's interesting. My GM has 60,000 miles on it and still has not "consumed" a DROP of brake fluid. Then again, I guess nothing lasts as long in Japanese vehicles.

It is my belief that you have a MUCH better vehicle there than any of your GM's. You have the best small pickup truck in the world; however, you still need to do routine fluid checks and maintenance (although I've owned some Toyota's that ran perfectly without either), it's still a good idea. Simply check and replace your fluids and filters (oil and fuel, transmission, if you have an automatic), and this truck will run for a very long time. Enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed mine.

In 1993 I bought a new Ford Ranger XLT with the 2.3 litre 4 cylinder. I drove the truck until October of 2000, at which time it had 63,000 miles. During that time I had NEVER EVEN CHECKED the brake fluid (it never had a brake job), power steering fluid or coolant level. I do all my own oil changes, so the truck was never serviced by anyone else. It has been my experience with both Ford and GM that NOTHING on the vehicle really requires any attention until almost 100,000 miles. I just recently did an oil change on my GM car and checked all the fluid levels in it. Everything was great, and that was the FIRST TIME in 58,000 miles I had ever checked ANYTHING under the hood on it (except oil changes). No well built vehicle should lose brake fluid in a mere 30,000 miles or so unless the brakes are abused.

I've had four Toyota trucks. What is causing your brake fluid to go low is:front pad wear and wear of your rear pads and the lack of proper adjustment. If you do not pull your emergency brake at least twice a week your rear brakes will not be adjusted properly. The emergency brake lever adjusts the rear brakes. It freezes up if not used. You must free-up this lever (Parking Brake Bellcrank) and keep it working on a regular basis. The tolerance is to tight on the bolt that holds this lever. Causing it to seize up. If you do not adjust rear brakes by manually moving it or by your emergency brake lever you will be stopping with front brakes only!!The low fluid is caused by the rear wheel cylinders extending to the max, trying to compensate for the lack of adjustment.Free up that lever and keep it adjusted.I manually adjust mine every two weeks.Involves reaching around the top of the rear tire,grabbing that lever and moving it 5 to 10 times.

I have a 2004 extended cab SR5 2x4. At about 30,000 miles my brake light would occasionally come on. I checked my brake reservoir and notices that the fluid was near the minimum limit.

I inspected my front brakes and found that the pads had very little life left. I replaced the brake pads and topped off the fluid and problem solved.

The truck has most of the weight up front. The brakes have to work harder up there than the rear. The thinner your pads the more heat and the brake fluid boils off. Brake wear is a result of hpw often and hard you brake.

Your dealer should have checked that I guess. You could just top the fluid off, but I wanted not to worry for another 30,000 miles. Now I know.

None of my domestics with 4 wheel disc brakes lose fluid such as this. I have had Acuras with 4 wheel disc brakes that wear the rears out actually sooner than the fronts however.