Yeah, older brakes definitely play into that. Had a similar issue with my '02 Tacoma—no tech at all, but the telematics kept flagging me for braking. Eventually just accepted it as part of owning an older ride... still worth it though.
"Eventually just accepted it as part of owning an older ride... still worth it though."
Had a similar experience with our family minivan—a 2005 Odyssey. The telematics kept dinging me for "hard braking," even though I was just driving normally. After some digging, I realized worn brake pads and older rotors can trigger those alerts more easily. Swapped out the pads, resurfaced the rotors, and the alerts dropped significantly. Might be worth checking your brake components before just accepting higher premiums... saved me a bit of headache (and cash).
Good call on checking brake components—telematics can be overly sensitive, especially with older cars. Tires matter too... uneven wear or low tread depth can trigger stability alerts, making you look riskier than you actually are. Worth a quick check before accepting those higher rates.
"uneven wear or low tread depth can trigger stability alerts, making you look riskier than you actually are."
Interesting point, but honestly, I'm not sure tires alone would make that big of a difference. Last year, my telematics flagged me as "high-risk" even though I'd just replaced all four tires. Turns out it was mostly about my driving habits—apparently braking too hard at stoplights counts against you? Seems a bit unfair to me... Anyway, might be worth double-checking your driving style before spending extra on new tires.
"apparently braking too hard at stoplights counts against you? Seems a bit unfair to me..."
Yeah, telematics can be pretty picky about braking habits. I had the same issue—got flagged for "hard braking" just because I stopped quickly to avoid hitting a stray dog. Honestly, it feels like these systems don't always account for real-world scenarios. But you're right, tires alone probably aren't the main culprit. Adjusting driving style helped me more than anything else...though it's still annoying having to drive like grandma just to save a few bucks on insurance.
