Rear brake pads and rotors on a 5th gen 4Runner are a one-hour-per-side job; OEM pads (04466-60140) are the right choice for daily and overland duty because they handle the truck's weight without dust storms.
The 5th gen 4Runner uses a single-piston floating caliper at each rear corner, sliding on two greased pins. Pads typically last 50,000–80,000 miles depending on how much towing and trail braking the truck sees. Rotors last for two pad sets if you bed in cleanly. Slotted or drilled rotors offer no real benefit on a 4Runner — Toyota's solid rear rotors run cool enough, and slotting adds noise. Centric Premium or OEM-replacement smooth rotors are the right call.
Pad choice matters more than rotor choice. Akebono Pro-ACT ($45) is a low-dust ceramic option and is what comes on many Toyota and Lexus models from the factory. Hawk LTS ($60) bites harder when towing or descending grades but throws more dust. Avoid semi-metallic budget pads — they chew rotors and squeal cold. For a truck doing trail recovery, overland trips, or any towing, ceramic OEM-spec pads are the right balance.
Caliper bracket bolts torque to 90 Nm (66 ft-lbs). Slide pin bolts torque to 34 Nm (25 ft-lbs). The slide pins must be clean and re-greased with high-temp silicone caliper grease — a dry pin is the most common cause of uneven pad wear and one-sided heat. The piston pushes straight back without rotation on this caliper, so a standard C-clamp works to retract it before pad install. Don't force it — open the bleeder on the caliper before retracting if the master cylinder is full, otherwise you push old fluid backward through the ABS unit.
Bed-in matters: after install, do 8 to 10 medium stops from 40 mph down to 10 mph without coming to a full stop, then drive five minutes to cool. This transfers an even layer of pad material to the rotor and is what separates a quiet new brake job from a job that pulses and squeals.
| Part | Vendor | Est. price |
|---|---|---|
| OEM Toyota Rear Brake Pad Set | Toyota | ~$65 |
| Akebono Pro-ACT Rear Pads (ceramic) | Akebono | ~$45 |
| OEM rear rotor (pair) | Toyota / Centric | ~$140 |
Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.