Strange bumping sound in tire/brake (?) when braking...

[11Genesis]

Hey guys,

I am experiencing an issue with my 2011 Genesis 3.8 and I hope someone can help!

It sounds like there is some kind of bumping or thumping sound in the tire or brake area when I apply the brakes. It's a steady, almost quick paced bump noise and sounds like it could be coming from the driver front side. The boyfriend swears he can hear it when the car is just moving too (no braking) but I don't hear anything - It's really only noticeable when actually braking, and seems to be getting louder over time.

I bought the car in July this year and it was fine for a couple weeks then the noise started out faintly. The dealership sold it to me with barely anything left to the brake pads, so finally I got them replaced a couple weeks ago, thinking that would solve the bumping noise problem or something. Nope... It's still there.

I tried to do some research online and it seems like a lot of people are saying it's a "bad tire" (as in some kind of defect with it, not bald or anything). I'm thinking maybe I waited too long to change the brake pads and ended up killing the brakes completely, which I hope not since the sound started shortly after buying the car and I'd like to think brakes hold out a little better than that...

Any idea what this could be? I'm stumped and hoping it's not something major....

Thanks!

 

[NSXNEXT]

Do you hear/feel it more when you are braking vs when you are driving?
If yes my first guess is a warped rotor.
Do you wash the wheels when they are hot (i.e. Do you let the car sit for a while after driving? Cold water on a hot rotor is not a good thing.

 

[Mark_888]

If you can feel even a slight throbbing of the brake pedal when applied, then it is probably a warped rotor. It may be possible to have the rotor turned (on a lathe) to fix the problem, or you may need a new rotor, depending on how bad it is. One problem is that if you have the rotor turned and it does not fix the problem, then you have to replace the rotor, and it would have been much cheaper to just replace the rotor in the first place.

If there is noise when no braking occurs, it may be the tires. Once they get out of round, they will continue to thump and need to be replaced. The OEM Dunlop tires installed on the Genesis for some model years are notorious for this problem, but it can happen on any tire. It is very important to rotate the tires on a regular basis with Genesis, more so than most other cars I have owned.

But it is possible that there is a problem with the brakes even if the noise occurs without braking. Sometimes the calipers get stuck and don't retract properly due to corrosion, road grime, etc.

 

[Richard Ft. Lauderdale]

I had something similar in my 2009 Genesis. It was one of the antilock brake sensors "pumping" the brakes. It was especially noticeable when braking at a slow speed. The car was still under warranty at the time.

 

[11Genesis]

To the 1st poster - Yes, the noise occurs when I'm braking. I don't hear it when I'm driving. I have washed my car right after driving it, never knew to let it cool down first, so thank you for that info!

To the 2nd poster: I don't feel any throbbing in the pedal when braking, it's completely smooth... just the weird noise outside of the car, that's why I'm kind of like wtf? haha.

To the 3rd poster - If it's not the rotor then I will definitely have to look into what happened with your Genesis as a possible explanation for my issue... Was the noise you heard kind of a steady, rapid thump and only occurring when you were braking? Did it seem to be getting louder over time?

Thank you everyone!!! A big help!!!

 

[Gunkk]

A loose caliper bolt can give a bit of a one time "bump" when first applying the brake.