Tools you need for rear brakes on a 2012-2017 Toyota Camry

The XV50 Camry rear brake job is one of the friendlier ones out there. Two 14 mm guide-pin bolts release the caliper, two 17 mm bolts release the bracket, and the piston pushes straight back with a C-clamp because the parking brake is a separate set of shoes inside the rotor hat instead of a screw-in piston mechanism.

The one thing people get wrong is fighting a stuck rotor. If the parking brake has ever been adjusted tight or the shoes have worn a ridge into the drum surface, the rotor will not budge no matter how hard you hit it. Pop the rubber plug out of the rotor face, turn the star adjuster to retract the shoes, and it comes right off. While you are in there, look at the parking brake shoes, since most owners never service them.

Complete tool and parts list

Differences within the 2012-2017 generation

Socket sizes are the same for the 2.5L 2AR-FE, 3.5L 2GR-FE and the hybrid: 14 mm pins, 17 mm bracket, 21 mm lugs. What changes is rotor size, with V6 models typically using a larger rear rotor than the 2.5L and hybrid, so match the part to your VIN or measure the old rotor. Hybrids use the same mechanical hardware but a regenerative brake system, so the pedal feel after bedding may differ slightly.

Torque specs

How the job goes

1. Park on level ground, chock the front wheels, and fully release the parking brake. Break the rear lug nuts loose with the 21 mm socket and breaker bar.
2. Lift the rear with a floor jack at the rear jack point and set jack stands under the pinch welds. Remove both rear wheels.
3. Open the brake fluid reservoir and draw out about a third of the fluid with a baster so it does not overflow when the pistons are pushed back.
4. Remove the two 14 mm caliper guide-pin bolts. Slide the caliper off the bracket and hang it from the spring or body with a bungee; never let it hang on the hose.
5. Pull the old pads and shims out of the bracket and note how the anti-rattle clips sit.
6. Remove the two 17 mm bracket bolts from the rear axle carrier and lift the bracket off.
7. Try to pull the rotor off. If it is stuck, remove the rubber plug on the rotor face, and turn the star adjuster with a brake spoon to retract the parking brake shoes; also try two M8 x 1.25 bolts in the jacking holes and tap with a dead blow.
8. With the rotor off, inspect the parking brake shoes and hardware for wear, grease, or broken springs; clean the backing plate with brake cleaner.
9. Wire brush the hub face clean, apply a very thin film of anti-seize to the hub flange only (not the rotor friction surface), and fit the new rotor. Clean both rotor faces thoroughly with brake cleaner.
10. Reinstall the bracket with the 17 mm bolts and torque them. Fit the new abutment clips and pads, greasing the pad ear contact points and shim backs lightly.
11. Pull the guide pins out, clean them, re-grease with silicone brake grease, and check that the rubber boots are intact.
12. Compress the piston straight back with a C-clamp using an old pad as a pressure plate, then refit the caliper and torque the 14 mm guide-pin bolts.
13. Repeat on the other side. Pump the brake pedal until firm before moving the car, then top up the reservoir to MAX.
14. Refit the wheels, lower the car, and torque lug nuts to 76 ft-lb in a star pattern.
15. If you backed off the parking brake adjuster, re-adjust it until the rotor just drags, then back off until free, and check the pedal/lever travel (about 5-8 clicks on the pedal-type parking brake).
16. Bed the new pads: 8-10 moderate stops from about 35 mph without coming to a full stop, then drive gently to cool.

Watch out

The 14 mm guide-pin and 17 mm bracket bolt sizes and the 21 mm lug nuts are consistent across XV50 Camrys; confirm the caliper torque values and your exact rotor diameter in a Toyota service manual or by measuring the old rotor.

Other jobs on the 2012-2017 Toyota Camry

Rear Brake Pads and Rotors on other vehicles