2001 is300 Brakes hard to push
 

Came up pretty sudden. Push on brakes very hard to slow down. Acts like when a car loses
power and you push the brakes, it will stop but you have to push hard.

What and where should I check first?
Are there known problems that seem to occur?

225k miles on the car

Thanks for information.

:confused:

IM HAVING SAME ISSUE!! Out of nowhere it started today!!so dangerous. Pedal is hard to push then once it starts braking then it pulses

Calipers might be beginning to seize. Jack each corner of the car into the air and try to spin the wheels. If they don't freespin, you have a seizing caliper. It's a known problem with Toyota cars. Brake calipers don't normally last 100k

Brake Booster fixed my problem. Car also ran rough when at idle with brakes engaged. Works great, easy fix, great video on you tube for my exact model

Hard brake pedal usually is one of two things.

Either your have a vacuum issue with the booster (ie booster is failing or a vacuum leak on the vacuum hose), or pressure being built up in the hydraulic system that cannot bleed back/release.

If it's a vacuum issue it should be pretty simple to fix. Either replace the faulty line, or the booster. If its the pressure in the hydraulic system it may take a little more time/effort to pin point what part is causing the system not being able to release the pressure. It could be pre-load on the booster from the pushrod connecting to the pedal, pre-load on the master from the pushrod from the booster, or it could be the master cylinder starting to fail and stick inside of the bore.

Normally, if the pistons on the caliper start to stick they wouldn't cause the pedal to go stiff. It would usually cause the calipers do drag excessively on the rotor causing them to heat up and lock up the brakes. I'm not saying it could never happen, but I have yet to see it.

Hope this information helps.

Can I drive the car 30 miles to my uncle ( who works at Toyota)? Or should I tow?

I'm having this issue now. I have a hissing noise coming from under the dashboard, so I'm guessing its an issue with the brake booster.

My question is if I should DIY this thing. And if so, any links to a refurbished or new part that's pretty affordable?

-ArtMo

Hissing noise under dashboard
 

What was the fix for this issue? I'm having the same issue and started a few days ago. The hissing comes up right after starting the vehicle when cold. The brakes feel hard as if the vehicle was off. Goes away after a few second while driving.