Spongey brakes/hard to stop smooth?

I've been having a hard time trying to come to a smooth stop. I think it's becoming more noticeable. I use just regen braking to stop if I can, but the majority of times I need at least a little bit more. Quite often regen is rather weak then other times. I pretty much have to pump my brake petal to stop smoothly. It's like I press it and it's not enough so I press it a bit more and then it's too much and will continue to stop faster if I don't let up about a inch and then it's too little and it's this back and forth of too much and too little. If I press the brake pedal to a point, it will start off breaking lightly and brake harder all by itself... I haven't exactly tested this to see what extent it will do it.

There are times I can hear my front left brake clunking a bit for what I assume is it grabbing and letting go as I pump the pedal. There are times I'm going to stop at a stop sign/light and it's like my brakes don't work like I'm expecting them to so I have to brake even harder. Like I thought I was going to be braking this amount initially, not a split second after pressing the pedal and it messes up the smoothness of the stop...

I think the brake pedal is a bit spongy, but I'm not sure how much. It also might have a settling/sinking feeling but I can't quite explain it. Maybe it's air? Hopefully it's not he electric brake pump thing.

When I bought the car 2.7~ years ago the dealer put the cheapest crappiest tries on it and I assume did the same for pads and rotors. Maybe I need new pads even though they look pretty good. I've never touched the brake fluid, maybe I need to look into a flush?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks,
Higgins909

 

It's got 181k on it right now, 2010. I got it with 163k on it about 2.7 years ago. I've only done air & cabin filters, oil filter and oil, recently had to replace the 12v. Regen has been a hit or miss for me. Sometimes it's quite strong and the majority it's quite weak. I had tried to charge the A/C myself but overcharged and had to take it to the dealer to uncharge and charge. I don't think anything else has been done. I usually have to add engine oil about 2-3k miles after a oil change.

The brake fluid is at least 2.7~ years old. At least on the rotors there is no rust. I was wondering if the pads were a cheap compound causing this, calling them cheap pads because the dealer put the cheapest tires on. I was not trying to imply that the tires causing the squish.

Yesterday when I got home I was messing with my brake pedal, trying to get a feel. I watched a video for a regular car about the brake pedal firming up after 3 pumps. I need to retry it, but I found that when the brake pedal is to the floor, I can move it back and forth 1 inch~ and heard a swishing sound, like your swishing mouth wash after brushing teeth. I wonder if that means there is air mixed in with the fluid or maybe it's just fluid?

Today it seemed to work fine so I'm confused now.

 

I must clear this up. I never press the pedal that far normally. I was just trying to see if it actually felt spongy at any point. When normally driving I probably only use a 2-3 inches of travel. Usually just a bit past regen which is kind of a fake deadzone area, is where I go for regular stopping. I usually press a bit passed that when I'm sitting at a light.

Today I didn't notice it, although I wasn't exactly thinking about it, on my way home. I remember the spongy/sinking feeling when initially braking.

Do ya'll know if I need Toyota brake fluid? A flush looks fairly easy. The nuts n bolts video just said dot 3. I can't remember if it's brand specific power steering fluid and or brake fluid that you're supposed to stick with.