Last year i replaced both front rotors on my 05 LS. For the past couple of mos ive been having a shutter/shake in the steering wheel only when apply the brakes lightly but when i press them hard or quickly slow down from a high speed there is no noticeable shake. I inspected the pads and rotors which seem to be ok visually. I do hear a light scraping noise when driving without the pedal depressed and some creaking noise when i do hit the brakes. I can hear the creaking noise whether the car is moving or sitting still in park or at a light. Could my rotors be bad again only after a year and a half? Sticking/stuck caliper? Any other ideas before i start tossing money in? Mileage is 157k and i guess this is the mileage where stuff will slowly start to deteriorate on the LS. Had a good run tho.

 

Sounds more like a bushing issue than rotors.

 

Are they OEM rotors? I just had my LCA bushings replaced and it cleared up most of shutter/shake I was feeling. I think I need to replace my rotors next.

 

As in lower control arm bushing? Yes they are OEM rotors that were replace on 12/12 @ 126K. Would the LCA give off a creaking sound when braking whether rolling or sitting still? Maybe a compound of problems going on here. I will get an assessment on the rotors from my mechanic first as it is the least costly of the two. LCA are due on my ride so that will be taken care of sooner than later.

 

Don't forget about the upper control arms. They can also cause a creaking sound. Also, double check the torque on the caliper bolts.

More often then not with a shudder that is caused by a rotor it's not because it was warped. It's caused by deposits being left on the surface of the rotor from the pads. I believe harder pads are more prone to this problem. It's much easier and cheaper to replace pads vs rotors which is why I stick with oem pads. If your rotor is not out of spec just have it turned a little at a machine shop.