OK, do you know where the emergency release for the parking brake is? When you pull that, it disengages the clutch inside the EPB which will release the cables. If the EPB is causing the brakes to engage, this should release it.

Also, just real quick, do we know for sure it isn't the hydraulic brakes? I know you said they did calipers twice. Did they do the rubber brake hoses as well?

Lastly, I had an '07 LR3 in the shop last winter with dragging brakes. We never could figure it out until one cold morning they had NO brakes. What we found was water in the brake booster and he lost is brakes when that water froze.

 

Well we did the manual cable release - still a problem. So I told them to take the shoes off so I could maybe get it down to a LR dealership for them to run diags on, and it was STILL a problem! Turns out it's a sticking caliper on the rear left - last year it was the rear right. My mechanic said he never would have suspected a stuck caliper based on the condition of the brakes themselves - equal wear on each side, equal evidence of heat on the rotor, no discoloration on the caliper.

This is my 3rd "sticky" caliper in a row, though, this time on one that is less than a year old. Is this just a common thing these days? It's under warranty by the old shop but still. I've never had issues with calipers like this, ever.

Thanks for sticking with me, LR Techniker. It's only because of you we feel we nailed the diagnosis though it's definitely not what we were expecting.

 

Don't forget about the rubber brake hoses. They can collapse internally and cause the same symptoms as a sticking caliper. I've gotten in the habit of changing the hose when I do a caliper, to avoid situations just like yours.
Glad you made headway though!

 

My mechanic actually called me as well to suggest replacing the hoses while he's in there, said the exact same thing. Honestly, the hoses being the root cause makes more sense to me than 3 different calipers going bad, and could explain how it's been so intermittent because I would have thought a sticking caliper would be more binary - it's either stuck or not.

Thanks again for all the help! So appreciated.

 

Hi k2dhnc,

I have the same issue right know on my RRS 2012. Vibrations on the highway on two differnt days. First time I checked for tyre damage with no result. Went back on the highway and it was gone. 3 days later - same vibrations. I pulled over an realized a very hot brake disc, including the smell of very hot brake pads (rear left), all other discs were at normal temperature. Few days later I let changed all 4 discs and brake pads because they were worn to limit anyway. My mechanic told me that the he found the inner brake pad (rear left) stuck in the caliper.
First trip on the highway after having changed the brakes resulted again in vibrations. But it took 20 minutes of driving before it appears. Speedrange somewhere between 100-140 km/h, and it doesn't change anything if you slow down to 80 km/h. It disapeared after a full stop.

So my question is, was the problem solved after you changed the caliper and replaced the hoses on your car?
Regards Frank

 

So many people come to ask for help and then they don't report on the outcome - kind of frustrating for the next person who comes along!

Hope you get it resolved. If it was me I'd replace rear calipers, brake lines, pads and parking shoes then adjust it all properly. And replace the rotor that overheated again. And flush and bleed with fresh fluid. But I do this sort of thing myself with aftermarket parts generally - it's a different calculation if paying a shop to do it....

 

Hi @Frank605!

The last steps detailed in my post actually did resolve the issue. Must have been the hoses as I haven’t had an issue since that last replacement. Hopefully your resolution is more speedy and less expensive than mine!

 

Thank you for your reply, k2dhnc.
I was already about to replace the center prop shaft bearing, before I came across this thread.
I will start with the hoses and calipers first and see if it works out.
Will post the result

 

Thanks for coming back to this old post with your update! I'm sure it'll help somebody else out one day.