1998 shimmies while brake depressed

[elantoys]

I have a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick Sport automatic 2-wheel drive with about 120K miles on it. Just the other day it started doing this weird bucking thing when I am backing up and then put my foot on the brake and also just after starting it if my foot is on the brake. The whole car just kind of shimmies (no real movement or slipping) when the brake is depressed at these two times. Anybody have a similar experience with this or have a clue as to what it might be? This is my baby and she has been treated like a princess. I can't stand to see her sick!

[Jangles]

Originally Posted by elantoys

I have a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick Sport automatic 2-wheel drive with about 120K miles on it. Just the other day it started doing this weird bucking thing when I am backing up and then put my foot on the brake and also just after starting it if my foot is on the brake. The whole car just kind of shimmies (no real movement or slipping) when the brake is depressed at these two times. Anybody have a similar experience with this or have a clue as to what it might be? This is my baby and she has been treated like a princess. I can't stand to see her sick!

I have not had this on my Sidekick, but I have with other vehicles. My best guess is that you have warped your brake discs on the front. This can happen if you have been in a situation whee you have had a hard braking situation, or you have done alot of continued braking (as in going down a long hill where you need to brake continuously. What happens is that the discs heat up to the point where they get warped. The warping causes the brakes to operate unevenly, causing the kind of symptoms you have described. Really bad warping can cause very pronounced shudder or shimmy. The only solution is to replace the discs on the front. You may be best to also replace the pads while you are at it, since they have likely worn unevenly after the warping occurred. Let us know if that helps get your Sidekick back on the road.

Jangles