Brake calipers seizing

[SRX]

My 2005 RX330 with 63,000 miles, front and rear brakes replaced at 45,285 and 50,972 miles respectively, required brake pad replacement and caliper slides cleaning because of excessive brake pad wear on the front and rear brakes on the passenger side only.  Dealership says this is common on vehicles with low mileage.   At the dealerships recommendation, both driver and passenger side pads and calipers were worked on rather than just the passenger side.  Makes no sense to me.  Any experience or thoughts about this situation?  

[TrevC]

It could be that the brakes located on the kerb side have excessive corrosion due to running in surface water collection by the kerb....both sides would have to be worked on to keep the braking effort constant (e.g. new pads or equal thickness, quality, compound, etc)

[SRX]

I appreciate your reply and thoughts regarding my post; you raise an intriguing possibility.  I understand why the brakes on both sides would need to be worked on in this situation.  Since there is no difference in how the car has been driven since it was new, I am still puzzled why the original brakes/caliper slides went so many more miles than the calipers on both brake replacements.  Again, thanks for your thoughts.  

[RX400h]

Something is wrong with that picture. I have never seen a post in which passenger side brakes were wearing faster than the driver's side brakes. Just as some doctors make better judgement calls than others, so too do dealership mechanics. I think soliciting a different mechanic's opinion would be beneficial.

[SRX]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post.  I agree something is wrong with this picture.  I too have never experienced one side seizing up.  I did see the wear on the passenger side brake pads compared to the driver's side pads.  The question is what caused the caliper slides on one side to seize.  Do not believe it was low mileage driving since the vehicle has always been a low mileage vehicle since new.  I agreed to replace the brakes at the dealership and that work is done.  Too late for a second opinion.  I have written a letter to Lexus Customer Experience regarding this situation and am waiting for a reply.  I'll post the response from Lexus. 

 

 

[RX400h]

I'd like to know if the device that is supposed to ensure optimum brake pressure distribution is working properly. Since this type of issue is so uncommon, it could be that most mechanics are not very experienced with troubleshooting the cause. A factory service manual may reveal how to do this but as many of us know, these manuals are very expensive.

[SRX]

After reading your post, I did some research on the devices controlling brake pressure distribution.  I will contact the service manager at the Lexus dealership and ask if this system was tested as part of the repair. 

[SRX]

When I visited my Lexus dealership to discuss the brake repairs which were made earlier, the service manager and a technician told me the devices controlling the brake pressure distribution were all acting as they should.  The problem was the freezing calipers on the passenger side.  There was no real explanation given as to why the issue with the calipers had occurred.  It was mentioned the agency has been experimenting with different lubricants to solve this caliper problem.

In response to a letter I mailed to Lexus Customer Experience requesting Lexus reimburse at least some of my cost to repair the brakes, I was told Lexus would not cover any of my repair cost since brakes are a wear item; this in spite of the one axle only going about 12,000 miles before brake replacement was required and the other axle 17,000 miles.  Very few miles, in my opinion, to necessitate brake pad replacement.  Lexus did offer a $200.00 service voucher which may be applied to future service work on my 2005 RX at a Lexus dealership.  I mailed a second letter asking Lexus to reconsider, and reimburse some of my brake repair cost or at least allow me to use the $200.00 service voucher on either of my Lexus vehicles.  They said no.