Tools you need for front brakes on a 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4

On the XA40 RAV4 this is one of the friendlier brake jobs out there. The front caliper comes off with two 14 mm guide-pin bolts, the bracket with two 17 mm bolts, and the rotor just slides off the hub - there are no retaining screws and no electronic parking brake to put in service mode. Budget most of your time for rust: the bracket bolts are torqued to about 79 ft-lb and the rotor often needs bolts threaded into its jack holes to break free of the hub.

The mistake people make is skipping the hub face. Any rust ridge left under the new rotor shows up as a pulsating pedal a few thousand miles later, and it gets blamed on cheap rotors. Wire-brush the hub down to bare metal, clean it, and check that the new rotor sits flat. Second most common mistake is greasing the guide pins with regular chassis grease - use silicone brake grease so it does not swell the rubber bushings, which is a classic cause of uneven pad wear on these.

Complete tool and parts list

Differences within the 2013-2018 generation

North American XA40 RAV4s all use the 2.5L 2AR-FE, so front brake fastener sizes are identical across trims and years: 14 mm guide-pin bolts, 17 mm bracket bolts, 21 mm lug nuts. The 2016-2018 RAV4 Hybrid uses the same front caliper hardware and sizes, but has regenerative braking, so top off fluid and expect a different pedal feel during bedding. Non-US diesel and 2.0L versions of this generation share the 14 mm/17 mm arrangement but can use a smaller rotor diameter - measure before ordering.

Torque specs

How the job goes

1. Park on level ground, chock the rear wheels, set the parking brake and loosen the front lug nuts a half turn while the tires are still down.
2. Jack the front of the vehicle at the reinforced lift point and set jack stands under the pinch welds. Remove both front wheels.
3. Optional but helpful: pop the master cylinder cap loose so the piston pushes back easily, and check the fluid level so it does not overflow.
4. Working one side at a time, remove the two 14 mm guide-pin bolts on the back of the caliper. Hold the pin with a 14 mm wrench if it turns.
5. Slide the caliper off the pads and hang it from the strut spring with a bungee. Never let it dangle on the brake hose.
6. Remove the outer and inner pads and the shims, then pull the two pad support plates (abutment clips) off the bracket.
7. Remove the two 17 mm bracket bolts and take the bracket off. These are usually tight; use a breaker bar.
8. Pull the rotor off. If it is rust-stuck, thread M8 x 1.25 bolts evenly into the two jack holes in the rotor face and tighten alternately to push it off, or tap the friction surface with a dead blow.
9. Wire-brush the hub face clean of all rust and scale, then wipe with brake cleaner. A high spot here causes runout and pedal pulsation.
10. Spray both sides of the new rotor with brake cleaner to remove the shipping oil, then fit it to the hub. Hold it flat with a lug nut or two if needed.
11. Reinstall the bracket with the 17 mm bolts and torque to 79 ft-lb (107 Nm).
12. Clean the bracket abutment surfaces, fit the support plates, and put a thin film of caliper grease on the plate contact points only, not the friction surface.
13. Assemble the new pads with their shims, using a light film of the moly pad grease between the pad plate and shim per Toyota's procedure. Fit pads into the bracket, wear indicator toward the top/inboard as it came off.
14. Retract the caliper piston fully with a C-clamp against the old pad or a piston tool. Pull the guide pins out, clean them, and grease them lightly with silicone brake grease; inspect the rubber boots for tears.
15. Set the caliper over the new pads and torque the 14 mm guide-pin bolts to 25 ft-lb (34 Nm). Confirm the caliper slides freely on the pins.
16. Repeat on the other side, reinstall the wheels, and torque lug nuts in a star pattern to 76 ft-lb (103 Nm) with the weight on the ground.
17. Pump the brake pedal 8-10 times until it is firm before moving the vehicle. Recheck the fluid level and cap the reservoir.
18. Bed the brakes: from about 35 mph do 6-8 moderate stops down to 5 mph without coming to a full stop, then drive gently to cool. Avoid holding the brake at a stop while hot.

Watch out

The 14 mm guide-pin bolts, 17 mm bracket bolts and 21 mm lug nuts are standard across the 2013-2018 XA40 with the 2AR-FE, and the torque figures match Toyota's front disc spec; confirm rotor size (most are 305 x 28 mm) and minimum thickness stamped on your own rotors before ordering.

Other jobs on the 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4

Front Brake Pads and Rotors on other vehicles