How to Change Brake Rotors on a Toyota Corolla – Fix Braking Vibration

Warped or unevenly worn rotors can cause vibration to occur when braking. This pictorial guide walks you through the process of changing out rotors and gives the correct part numbers you need.

The vehicle used in this tutorial is a 2004 Toyota Corolla, but this procedure and parts should also apply to 2003-2017 Toyota Corolla’s as well.

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What Causes a Toyota Corolla to Shake While Braking?

Vibration when braking is a tell-tale sign of a warped rotor. It is best to replace both rotors and brake pads at the same time. Another option is to take your rotors to a local shop and have them grind them down. However, if the warping is severe, it is better to replace them.

In my case, the Corolla developed a shimmy, shudder, or vibration whenever the brakes were applied. The vibrational frequency was dependent on vehicle speed, so coming off the freeway onto an off ramp, there would be very fast shaking. As the vehicle slowed down, the shimmying would decrease in intensity.

Upon inspecting the brakes, I found a nearly seized caliper pin. I replaced that (for more information on that, check out this post on replacing a seized caliper pin). When I put everything back together, the problem was slightly better, but there was still a lot of vibration. That is when I decided to replace the rotors.

Materials used:

brake cleaner spray
anti-seize lubricant
Rotors (2003-2008 Corolla)
Rotors (2009-2017 Corolla)
Brake Pads (Bosch BE923H) – 2002-2008 Toyota Corolla
Brake Pads (Bosch BC1210) – 2009-2018 Toyota Corolla

Tools required to replace brakes and rotors:

Okay, let’s get started.

Procedure to Replace Brakes and Rotors on a Toyota Corolla

The first step is to pry off the hubcap, jack up the car, and put a jack stand under there as well.

Jack up the front end of the vehicle and use a jack stand.

Remove the Wheel

Remove the lug nuts with the 13/16″ socket. If you have one, an impact wrench makes the job go faster.

You might have to give the wheel a kick to loosen it, then set the wheel aside.

If the wheel is rusted on, see this post for a method to get it off.

Inspect the Brakes

Now is a good time to inspect the condition of your brake pads, calipers, and brake lines. Make sure nothing is loose or leaking.

Remove the Caliper

Remove the two 14 mm bolts holding the caliper on.

Gently slide the brake caliper off of the pads.

Then hang it from the strut spring. Wire the caliper in place so that it does not accidentally fall down and break your brake line. Or ideally, get some caliper hooks.

Remove the Brake Pads

Remove the 2 brake pads and set them aside. It is recommended to change brake pads when you change rotors.

Brake Pads 2002-2008 Toyota Corolla – Bosch BE923H Brake Pads
Brake Pads 2009-2018 Toyota Corolla – Bosch BC1210 Brake Pads

If you are changing brake pads, check out this post for how to change front brake pads.

Remove the Caliper Bracket

Now, locate the two 17 mm bolts holding the bracket on, and remove them.

removing the caliper bracket mounting bolts

You might need to use a cheater bar, as these are torqued pretty tight.

Remove the caliper bracket and set it aside.

Now, clean off the hub, and spread some Anti-Seize on it, so that your rotor doesn’t rust on.

Here is a picture of the old and new rotors side by side.

Rotors (2003-2008 Corolla)
Rotors (2009-2017 Corolla)
Brake Pads (Bosch BE923H) – 2002-2008 Toyota Corolla
Brake Pads (Bosch BC1210) – 2009-2018 Toyota Corolla

Side by side, the old and new corolla brake rotors

Put on the New Rotor

New rotor installed onto the hub corolla

Put a lug nut on to hold the rotor in place while you put the caliper bracket back on.

Caliper bracket correctly installed over the rotor on a corolla

Put on the Caliper Bracket

Tighten the caliper bracket bolts to 79 ft-lbs using your torque wrench.

Install the Brake Pads

Gently slide the brake pads into the slots. Put a little bit of caliper grease on the slots, if there is not some there already.

The brake pads are installed into the caliper bracket.

Re-Install the Brake Caliper

Gently slide the brake caliper over the pads.

Insert the caliper bolts. Make sure that the caliper pins are turned to the proper orientation. There is a tab, that the caliper bolts must slide past. Make sure you are not tightening against the tab, as it can be bent and damage the caliper pin.

Then tighten the 2 caliper bolts to 25 ft-lbs.

torque the caliper bracket mounting bolts

Use a torque wrench to tighten the brake caliper mounting bolts.

Spread some anti seize lubricant on to the front face of the rotor. This will help to make sure that the wheel does not rust to the rotor.

Spreading anti-seize onto the face of the brake rotor.

The rotors are often shipped with a fine layer of oil on them. You want to remove this. Spray the new rotor with brake cleaner, to remove any contaminants.

Double check one last time that all of the bolts are tight, the brake line is not twisted, and that everything is sitting properly.

Put the Tire Back On

The new rotor installed before the tire is put on.

Tighten the lug nuts by hand. Then once they are finger tight, use a torque wrench to torque the lug nuts in a star pattern. The torque setting should be 76 ft-lbs.

A toyota corolla jacked up using the stock jack and with a jackstand for safety.

Remove the jack stand and lower the vehicle.