Vehicle vibration and burning rubber smell at high speeds

2006 TOYOTA COROLLA
149,129 MILES • FWD • MANUAL
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WILLISCAHILL
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
When I drive at speeds of 80 km/h and over my steering wheel and pedals begin to vibrate and can occasionally smell burning rubber through my vents. I pulled over and carefully touched each wheel rotor and discovered that the driver's side rotor was burning hot to the touch while the others were fine.
After driving at high speeds for a while, this tends to subside and never occurs at speeds below 80 km/h. Could this be the brake caliper sticking or something else?
Apr 13, 2017 at 6:09 PM
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CARADIODOC
  • CAR REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
  • 34,308 POSTS
Yup. Only a caliper not releasing will cause the hot wheel, but there are multiple possible causes. If you find the brake pedal is higher and harder than normal, the best suspect is a constricted rubber flex hose. To verify that, park on a slight incline, then shift to neutral. If the car doesn't creep downhill on its own, place a block about a foot downhill from a tire so you don't look funny chasing after the car! Crawl underneath and open the bleeder screw on the caliper. If the caliper releases and the car starts to move freely, replace that rubber hose.
Apr 13, 2017 at 6:34 PM
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