I recently had a failure of one set of brake pads. On the starboard side it started with a shake in the steering wheel while braking. The shaking slowly increased over the next six months. It finally got so bad I took it to the Toyota dealer thinking I had a suspension problem as I had recently replaced the rotors and the pads so it couldn't be them.
But it was the brakes! On a 6 month old set of pads, two had broken in two on the right front. one of them became detached from the backing plate and was causing the shaking. I didnt purchase them, my mechanic did so I dont know where they came from.

 

always use OEM Toyota / Lexus parts, another case in point

 

Not really a "case in point" since we dont know that they were not OEM

 

The general rule is if you recently did any work to your car and an issue arises even remotely related to the work recently performed you double check what was just done.
Glad you got it resolved. Curious to know the brand of pads and if it was the product or the install that was faulty.

 

Not necessarily. On our IS Fsport the OEM pads are semi metallic and always squeaked, we went with aftermarket ceramic pads and they’ve been great.

 

I am fairly sure it was the install because the Rotors were also replaced as sets. The left side was fine and when Toyota fixed it, they did not think the rotors needed replacement, just the pads. Replaced the left ones as a precaution.

 

I have only seen that happen a couple of times over the years. Majority of the time, that is purely relative to the quality of the parts. I drive a company car that has a fleet maintenance shop. They use the cheapest (read as "lowest quality") junk... and we see "new" part failures often enough.

While it may not be relative, many drivers who don't do their own maintenance have never heard of breaking in new brake pads. It is a series of rapid decellerations between speeds usually directed by the pad manufacturer. The steps can vary, but generally three really hard decells from 60-30, drive a few minutes, then less aggressive, but still quick decells from 35-10 followed by a good 10-15 mile stretch of open road to allow the brakes to cool.....

I doubt this would have saved the brake pads from failing like they did in this case, but still something that should be done when called for by the manufacturer.

Since this also only affected one wheel, it would be a good idea to have that caliper inspected to insure that it is not dragging. With a warped rotor, you'd want to find out why it did that. Usually, both rotors if the same age, will warp at roughly the same rate. When one warps and the other is fine.... there is more to look at. Did the failed pads cause the warpage, or is the caliper dragging?

 

I’ve always used OEM pads from when I had my LS (2009) until late last year. Stock brakes are pretty good already. I replaced the OEM rotors with Stoptech drilled/slotted in front, slotted in rear, SS brake lines, and Porterfield R4s carbon/Kevlar pads, bedded the rotors/pads…no comparison! The new brakes are so much better than OEM , no pad dusting or squealing either! Probably 2-3x more braking power given the same amount of force applied to the brake pedal. I have used the R4s pads on my LX for 18 yrs with no issues.

 

The rotors were fine, no warpage on either one. The caliper was not dragging. The pad just broke in half. The other three wheels were fine but I did replace the drivers side pads as well so both would be the same age.