I picked up my new OR 6MT tonight and immediately after leaving the dealership, I noticed the brake pedal seemed really spongy compared to my old truck. I didn't bother test driving it as I was in a hurry and had driven one previously. It's been a couple of weeks since I drove the other one, also with MT, and I don't remember anything unusual about the first one's brakes. The brakes seem to work fine and there are no warning lights. I am familiar with brake systems and bleeding, having just converted a Jeep to rear disks. Can anyone validate my perception that the X has a softer feeling brake pedal than other vehicles? I'm certain any dealer would say they are normal.

I think the brakes feel fine but it depends on what you are used to.

If you do a search you will find several people on the board have complained about the brakes not feeling quite as firm as they like.

I agree. When I first test drove an X the brakes felt really spongy. I was used to driving my little honda civic around that stopped on a dime. A few weeks later I bought an xterra (a different one from a different dealership than where I did the first test drive) and the brakes felt the same. Up until recently (about a month now) I'm just now getting used to the feel of the brakes. Not only did I have to get used to the brakes, but also the acceleration on this puppy really kicks if you goose it from a stop!

your brakes would appear to be working normally...

you will forget about it in a couple of weeks.

Yeah, the brake pedal is definitely spongey. In fact, I think that was the biggest negative with driving performance I had read about when researching the truck before I bought it. The good news is that it was best in it's class in terms of actual breaking performance and distance from ?-0 despite the feel of the pedal.

Nature of the beast. Now that I have over 18000 miles on it. I don't even notice it and the brakes work just fine. I have had to do a couple of panic stops and they work fine.

I do notice a squeal when going slow 5-10mph and lightly applying brakes. Anyone else?

Car & Driver said the brake pedal felt "like stepping on tofu", and I would agree that off the bat they were kinda spongy. After 20,000 miles, the brakes either (a) become more "normal" feeling, or (b) I've become more adjusted to the tofu. Either way, they seem fine to me. They stop on a dime when needed, and can be modulated pretty well with varying pressure.

Thanks for all the responses. I feel much better knowing that this is normal. That must be the only thing I missed in my extensive research. Unfortunately, I will never be able to forget about it, only accept it more. The car I drive most is a Crown Vic Interceptor, followed by my lifted Wrangler and my wife's '03 Corolla. The X will fall between between the Jeep and Toyota in actual seat time. They all have a stiffer brake pedal. That and the center and door armrests are my only complaints after half a day of ownership.

actually mine are doing that also. mine started doing it after i went offroad on dusty roads. they really do it bad right when i get back. i found if i get a pressure washer in there reall good it goes away. i am pretty sure it is just the dust.

OK...Here's the scoop on the 2005 & up Xterra Brakes :

(1) A little backround first ; I test drove an '07 at one dealership just to get a feel for the vehicle in general. Knowing I was not going to buy this one & that it is a brand new / non-broken in vehicle = I was not hard on it. But the brakes seemed fine.

(2) When I purchased one from another dealer (I did not test drive it though) I stepped on the brake pedal before backing out of the parking space & it was extremely soft ! "Oh well" I thought "I'll see how it goes & maybe I'll have to bleed these".

(3) After a few hundred miles it was down right scary. I'm a busy guy & figured ok it's under warranty...I'll let the dealership bleed my brakes. Result they bled the system & surfaced all 4 rotors "due to rust build-up". Friction was minorly improved & pedal pressure was about the same. I came right back to talk to the tech & they said this was "all thet could do".

(4) Research time ! Our trucks have a 6 line / 4 channel ABS system runnning DOT 3 fluid. Not to mention a weak firewall that allows the mastercylnder to move when the brakes are applied.

THE FIX :

(1) I modified & installed a Stillen mastercylinder brace for a Titan. (I don't reccomend this unless you are a capable & creative fabrictor)

(2) I removed the rubber brake pedal cushion / cover & installed a metal pedal from Ultimate Pedals.

Now that we have remove the physical "solid" flex---On to the liquid flex / expansion.

(3) I installed a 6-line set of Goodridge stainless steel brake lines & had them bled by people that know what they are doing = Stillen in southern California.

I now had what felt like a good set of stock brakes should feel like. Not spectacular...but at least safe.

(4) There are no real performance replacement rotors available for our trucks yet. (drilled rotors are crack prone / decrease swept surface / wear pads quickly / lighten your wallet / but look nice)

(5) That leaves pads. Not much available here either (and none from the companies that I have favored in the past)
I have gone ahead & installed front & rear "Metal-Matrix" pads from Brake Pros (Stillen).
I only have a few miles on these so far so we will see.
Initial impressions : firmer pedal feel & seem to be biting better than the stock pads (even though they are not bedded in yet)

I hope this helps you guys as I have been working on this problem for quite a few months so far.

One thing that I forgot to metion above is that I also changed to DOT 4 fluid (Motul RBF600) when installing the brake lines.

You ever notice that when your finished talking about something...You always think of another thing you forgot...

I also removed all the shims from the front pads (there are 4 per caliper : 2 metal & 2 with a soft/rubbery coating). This also helped firm up the pedal.

DONE