Weird grinding noise at hard braking

[hanl1]

So last night while driving I had to hit the brake really hard when the car in front had a sudden stop. At the end of the braking I was hitting the brake really hard and I felt what I would describe as a rock grinding noise coming from the bottom of my car. The noise went away after I lifted the brake and it didn't come back under normal braking.
Anyone knows if this is normal? Could be a noob question but maybe that was the ABS?

 

[thegruf]

stone caught in the brake caliper?

 

[Evbwcaer]

Did you just start driving? Was it, or had it been, raining? My thought is rusty rotors that the hard braking rubbed off.

 

[woof]

Probably ABS. Try a practice "panic stop" situation in a safe location (empty parking lot for example). It's always good to get a feel for where ABS kicks in.

 

[Lyon]

ABS makes a noticeable shuddering/pulsing/grinding noise as the calipers pulse to prevent lockup. That's probably it.

 

[tstafford]

Probably ABS. Try a practice "panic stop" situation in a safe location (empty parking lot for example). It's always good to get a feel for where ABS kicks in.

I second this.

 

[Xenius]

I second this.

Third, was weird as hell the first time I ever felt ABS kick in, but it's repeatable and you'll get used to it (but hopefully not too used to it).

 

[hanl1]

I guess I will go with the more re-assuring ABS theory Thanks folks

 

[brkaus]

When ABS was a new thing, it was common advice to go to a safe area and stomp the pedal. It is a strange sensation and probably worth trying so one doesn't panic in a real emergency b

I don't trigger it much on my bmw, but my diesel truck triggers more easily. I'm suspecting the greater weight of the truck makes stopping harder and hence ABS gets used more. The model s weighs nearly the same as my truck.

 

[patrick42h]

Most, if not all, cars have a metal tab that drags on the brake rotors when the pads get too thin. Maybe that is what you are hearing.

 

[thegruf]

^ that will usually get you a hideous squeal not a grinding noise.

abs is typically more like a vibration than a grinding noise

 

[RonaldT]

What a great resource. I emailed Tech Support about this and received a “take it to a Tesla technician “ useless response. I explained in detail the noise and circumstances. My technician is a 3 hour round trip during business hours away.
Thanks for saving me all the hassle. Tech support seems to be little other than a generic clearing house. I am amazed there is not a more technical based response after 13+ years of production and the volumes of data available to tech support. When I complained about such a useless response, I received a smart ass response that basically said take it to a technician....again.

 

[scottm]

Most, if not all, cars have a metal tab that drags on the brake rotors when the pads get too thin. Maybe that is what you are hearing.

Those typically squeal when they touch, not grind.

 

[scottm]

What a great resource. I emailed Tech Support about this and received a “take it to a Tesla technician “ useless response. I explained in detail the noise and circumstances. My technician is a 3 hour round trip during business hours away.
Thanks for saving me all the hassle. Tech support seems to be little other than a generic clearing house. I am amazed there is not a more technical based response after 13+ years of production and the volumes of data available to tech support. When I complained about such a useless response, I received a smart ass response that basically said take it to a technician....again.

Do be sure to check in here more often, as you can see we are wealth of knowledge for newcomers such as yourself.

 

[brkaus]

What a great resource. I emailed Tech Support about this and received a “take it to a Tesla technician “ useless response. I explained in detail the noise and circumstances. My technician is a 3 hour round trip during business hours away.
Thanks for saving me all the hassle. Tech support seems to be little other than a generic clearing house. I am amazed there is not a more technical based response after 13+ years of production and the volumes of data available to tech support. When I complained about such a useless response, I received a smart ass response that basically said take it to a technician....again.

Generally agree they are not super useful.

In this case I bet their hands are a bit tied. Customer reports braking concern, seeing it in person is the safest solution. A miscommunication over the phone could misdiagnose and result in an accident, etc.

 

[RonaldT]

This leaves me wondering. I have spoken to 6 or 7 Model S owners at a Supercharging Station and NONE have experienced this brake pedal rattle.
I am mystified how the Service Center can label this as normal when, at least so far, it seems to be very uncommon. They claim to be unable to diagnose the noise from Tech Support, which makes sense; but I would think they would back up their “normal “ claim with something other than a canned response.
If you have experienced this or know of someone who has, please log in.
Thanks a Bunch!

 

[CA Terp Fan]

I experienced a grinding noise with vibration during hard braking on my 2018 75D; techs told me it was common w/ ABS. Went out to a remote area and executed several hard braking maneuvers; noise / vibration was pretty consistent.

More important, I've not experienced any issues with my brakes. Just my two cents worth.

 

[RonaldT]

Being new to this site, how does one poll other owners to determine if this noise is heard by others? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
RonaldT

 

[scottm]

Being new to this site, how does one poll other owners to determine if this noise is heard by others? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
RonaldT

When you create your own thread, there's an option to attach a poll question to it.

You must do this at the outset of creating a thread.

 

[RonaldT]

Thanks a Bunch! Scott. I will give it a try. Oops, site says I am too new to start a thread. Will you volunteer to start one ?
Ronald T