I replaced my rear pads (after) the front ones and I have done that at around 48,000kms. The wear on them was very even on both sides.

Mine is Automatic, so I rely on the brakes a lot.

There must be something else that is causing this uneven wear and the first couple of things that come to mind are:

1. Handbrake locked (or driving with a handbrake on by accident)
2. Brake pistons are not retracting correctly therefore leaving the pad stuck to the surface. Check the brake fluid levels.
3. Retracting pins on the brake pads are broken.
4. No grease on the reverse side of the pads to help smooth their retracting motion.

 

...
1. Handbrake locked (or driving with a handbrake on by accident)
2. Brake pistons are not retracting correctly therefore leaving the pad stuck to the surface. Check the brake fluid levels.
3. Retracting pins on the brake pads are broken.
4. No grease on the reverse side of the pads to help smooth their retracting motion.

My personal experience (see my next post) tells me to pick # 4
and to add two words: "Canadian Winters"

Btw, lets clarify something for our X-trailers:
the "pedal brake (ie all 4 disc & pads)" and the rear "hand brake" are two distinct brake systems:
The hand brake relies on a rear shoes & drum system located within the rear discs. So driving with your hand brake on, while it may wear out the shoes specific to this system, does not wear out the rear pads.

 

... I turned the wheel using the studs and the brake pads were grinding against the rotor. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership, where they told me I had to replace the rear pads and rotors.

I didn't have any warning and upon inspection of the old pads I seen the pad with the warning tab was barely warn. ....

I rotate my own tires and watch the front brake pads, as these typically wear out first. Have any of you replaced the rear pads first? ...

I would appreciate any comments/insight on this matter..

Greg

WOWWW, same thing happened to me !
…well maybe not as bad since it was caught on time.

As I explained to anyone who cared to listen: for the moment I have regular inspections performed at the Dealer every 6000 km faithfully.
I went at 18000 km; inspection revealed everything in order (rear pads 85% good).
I then went for the 24000 km; when I am told the rear sliding pins mechanism was rusted and seized which caused rear pads to stick and wear out. (15% left on them) and would have to be replaced at my next visit (why I was not contacted for immediate pad replacement while they were working on them is any ones guess).

Anyway last week I picked up a set of rear pads and replaced them myself.
Making sure the shims and sliding mechanism were properly lubricated.

At my next visit to the big “D” I intend to bring up this matter for $ compensation.
Since its just tooooooo easy to say “sorry, brake system is never covered under warranty”.

Also, imo, the fact that only one out of four rear pads has a “warning tab” is absurd and should be revised.

 

Fantastic Brake Pad Life

I rotate my own tires and watch the front brake pads, as these typically wear out first. Have any of you replaced the rear pads first? I had 78 000 km when this repair was done. I know this is high mileage, but it is all highway and I use my transmission when I slow down. I have had seven nissans and this is the first one I replaced the brake pads on (normally trade at 140 000km), especially the rear pads.

I would appreciate any comments/insight on this matter..

Greg

Greg:

I do hope that the info supplied by ValBoo & aussietrail has been helpful to you (and other members).

Am I reading your post correct when you say that this problem occurred @ 78 k on the rear shoes ??

For the "average" driver that would be close to 3 years of use, which I personally would consider pretty darn good...

Again, If I'm reading your post correct, it appears that you have driven other Nissan product as much as 140K without changing the pads ???

I've only one thing to say - - Glad your not on my rear bumper if I have to stop in a hurry - -

I'd be quite happy to get the 78k from any set of "pads"

 

I replaced my pads at about 48k for peace of mind.
I now have 75k on my 05.

I used to own a Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V. I managed to get 80k out of a set of pads on that car before I trade it.

 

All I can say is I have my vehicle serviced at the dealership on a regular basis (every 6000km). Over the years I have had 6 other nissan vehicles, all with high mileage. I have asked many times to check my brake pads and I have checked them myself. They have always checked out alright. I drive high mileage (entirely highway) and do not use my brakes often, as I gear down and start slowing down in advance when I know I am turning. In addition, I tend to travel large distances. I find it hard to believe my rear pads were worn out before the front. My front pads still have 50% left on them (according to the Saint John dealer who replaced my rear pads and rotor).

Greg

 

Check with the dealer on which wears out first (front or rear). I had an 02 Jetta TDI and my rear brakes wore out first at 110,000 Kms. The dealer said it was normal with the newer VWs.

Since then I have had other friends with golfs and jettas that have had the same thing occur.

 

Greg,

you don't have to explain any further...
It is clear that something went wrong with your rear brake system and caused your rear pads to wear out prematurely.
It is infuriating especially when you rely on the dealer with regular inspection intervals.
...and as I said before I share this same experience with you.
I am planing to get compensation for this within a week & will let you know how it went.

 

Marc,
Any luck with getting compensation for your rear brake pads? Does your new pads have more than one warning tab?

Greg

 

The other weekend my X-Trail made a horrible noise from the rear. I drove around the parking lot trying to figure out what it was. I jacked the vehicle up and took the rear tire off. I turned the wheel using the studs and the brake pads were grinding against the rotor. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership, where they told me I had to replace the rear pads and rotors.

I didn't have any warning and upon inspection of the old pads I seen the pad with the warning tab was barely warn. That is, only one pad on each side was worn out, while the other pad had a fair amount of life. The dealership in Saint John said they have had to replace four or five rear pads on the Xtrails and Altimas. I checked with my dealer in Fredericton and they are unaware of any problem.

I rotate my own tires and watch the front brake pads, as these typically wear out first. Have any of you replaced the rear pads first? I had 78 000 km when this repair was done. I know this is high mileage, but it is all highway and I use my transmission when I slow down. I have had seven nissans and this is the first one I replaced the brake pads on (normally trade at 140 000km), especially the rear pads.

I would appreciate any comments/insight on this matter..

Greg

If only one pad is wearing out that could mean that either a caliper piston is siezed or something is not greased properly. If that is the case the problem is hydraulic and should be covered under warranty at no cost to you. If it is not covered under warranty get it done somewhere else, or at least take it to another nissan dealer and get a second oppinion.

 

61000KM Rear Rotor & Pad replacement

The other weekend my X-Trail made a horrible noise from the rear. I drove around the parking lot trying to figure out what it was. I jacked the vehicle up and took the rear tire off. I turned the wheel using the studs and the brake pads were grinding against the rotor. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership, where they told me I had to replace the rear pads and rotors.

Greg

Hi Oreo. Thought it would be a good idea if I posted my experience with the rear brake replacement on my 2005 X-Trail (manual XE). My experience is almost identical to Oreo's and ValBoo.

At 61000KM the rear brakes started to squeal slightly. Within a week, and with almost no warning, the rear brake pad was rubbing against the rotor. What I found strange was the rear brakes had to be replaced before the front. I am now in the process of replacing the rear brakes and rotors. The driver’s side rear rotor is gouged pretty good and I'm not sure if it's worth turning.

I'll send an update when the work is finished but this rear brake failure seems to be a potential problem for X-Trails and I would warn all X-Trail owners to pay special attention to your brakes and rotors at regular intervals. A Nissan service manager has informed me that the design (or size) of the rear brakes on the X-Trail causes them to wear quickly. Premium aftermarket pads maybe the way to go.

60000km and I have to drop $600 to replace brakes and rotors. That's a little too soon. Not even sure if I'll write Nissan because I'm really not interested in the 'not covered under warranty' speech and all that.

 

Greg (& Proteejay)

No. I did not pursue the compensation since I have not gone back to that particular dealer since.
& no, the new set of pads I got only have one warning tab.




I was lucky enough that my rear rotors were intact.

There is definitely something to worry about here, perhaps not the brake pad design itself but the sliding mechanism for sure. It is simply too sensitive to jamming.

Obviously there has been more than a few cases of this happening in harsh environments (ie Canada=winter= salt & sand grime on roads).

You cannot rely on a simple visual inspection of your brake components as given by the regular intervals because one day the rear pads will be fine and the next time the slides will have jammed and your pads will be worn and grinding away on your rotors; only one of the 4 rear pads has the warning tab so you cannot rely on that...

Never mind dealer inspection: I have decided to take another approach on this one:
Every time I switch winter/summer tires & wheels I will undo the rear calipers and check the slides and re-grease the slide mechanism. Full stop. I did this in the spring (& at the same time replaced my rear pads). I will be checking again this fall (in a one & a half month or so) and so on.

 

What aftermarket pads/rotors do your guy's recommend?

Thanks,
Sanjay

 

Greg (& Proteejay)

No. I did not pursue the compensation since I have not gone back to that particular dealer since.
& no, the new set of pads I got only have one warning tab.




I was lucky enough that my rear rotors were intact.

There is definitely something to worry about here, perhaps not the brake pad design itself but the sliding mechanism for sure. It is simply too sensitive to jamming.

Obviously there has been more than a few cases of this happening in harsh environments (ie Canada=winter= salt & sand grime on roads).

You cannot rely on a simple visual inspection of your brake components as given by the regular intervals because one day the rear pads will be fine and the next time the slides will have jammed and your pads will be worn and grinding away on your rotors; only one of the 4 rear pads has the warning tab so you cannot rely on that...

Never mind dealer inspection: I have decided to take another approach on this one:
Every time I switch winter/summer tires & wheels I will undo the rear calipers and check the slides and re-grease the slide mechanism. Full stop. I did this in the spring (& at the same time replaced my rear pads). I will be checking again this fall (in a one & a half month or so) and so on.

I will admit I am no longer doing a visual inspection, and intend to check my pads individually on my next wheel rotation as illustrated by Marc. I am also considering picking up an extra set of pads and replace them on a set schedule. This work will not be a big deal as I rotate every 10,000 and use dedicated winter tires. Thus the wheels are off a fair amount.

Marc/Stephen, Do you guys in Montreal meet weekly? I am up there on business a few times a year and may take in one of your meetings if it coincides.

Greg

 

Hey Greg,
what a nice idea... that would be great.

Stephen and I meet once in a while, but I think we are definatly due for a lunch at "Mikes"; what do you say Stephen?
Greg, if you are planning to come to Mtl then let us know (private message).

 

My pins seized - causing all 4 pads to tilt and wear the top half only - of every pad.

05 - X-trail - 72,000K

The only way to complain - is as a group.

My (sold) pathfinder - had no such problems - 145,000K

 

I replaced the pads on my XT today as routine maintenance. Luckily my rotors looked good, but my pads were getting pretty bad (especially the rears).

FYI for those of you in Canada, I got my brake pads (front and rear) from a UAP/Napa store. $161 + tax for both pair.

 

Brake Problem

Hi everyone. I'm having no luck with the dealership on these problems, so I'm hoping someone here might be able to help.

I own a 2005 X-Trail with 33000 KMs. A couple of months ago, it started making a strange sound coming from the front end while I drive on the highway. It doesn't last very long. Nissan couldn't determine the problem because it is sporadic. I'm not sure if it's related to the break problem which I'll describe now.

I had to replace the rear brake pads at 31,000 KMs. The mechanic told me one of the pads was significantly more worn than the other one. I have never had to replace brake pads this soon and normally the front ones wear before the rear ones.

The car now has 33,000 KMs. Last week I noticed that the front driver's side rim gets hot after driving the car on the highway. If it's driven in the city, the same rim gets warm. All other rims remain cold. The driver's side rotor is discolored (redish) and the others are fine. I took it to Nissan again and was told I need new rotors and brake pads. The technician said the calipers are fine. I have never had to replace rotors (or even break pads) this soon. Does anyone have any idea what would cause this pre-mature, uneven ware? Will replacing the rotors and brake pads fix the problem with the driver's side rotor heating?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

It sounds like something is "seized" causing the brake pad to remain engaged when it should not....that would lead to premature wear and overheating of your rotor.....and if your rotor overheats it will probably warp as well...

Suggestion:- take it to one of those places that does a "free" brake inspection - - I'll bet they will identify the "cause" of the problem...

Please let us know the outcome - 33K for new rotors and pads is not encouraging at all.

Good luck with it....

 

It sounds like one of your brake pistons is locking up and not retracting to its place when you press the pedal. This in turn causes the brake pads to stay in touch with the surface of the disc, hence the heat.

You might have air in your brake system and may require a brake fluid flush before fitting the new pads and discs, otherwise the problem will happen again.

The dealer should check the operation of the brake pistons before replacing anything and if it is indeed the cause of this problem, this is a warranty job.

 

I took the car into another NISSAN dealership today (401 & Dixie Nissan in Toronto). At least this time they checked everything. The technician showed me what the problem was. One of the front rear break pad was sticking to the rotor because of rust and dirt build-up. This caused the rotor to heat up. Both the rotor and break bad wore out quickly as a result. He strongly suggested having the breaks frequently cleaned and checked.

He loosened and cleaned the break pad because I coudn't get the work done today. When I drove home, I noticed there was no more noise coming from the front end and when I arrived home, I checked the wheel rim and it was cold to the touch like the other ones were. Hopefully, this has resolved the mystery of the noise coming from the front end, although I'm not too happy about replacing the rotors and break pads after such a short time.

Thanks to all who have responded to my original post.

 

The dianosees (what's plural for "diagnosis"??) here and at 401/Dixie sound spot-on to me. Just make sure it was in fact rust & dirt build up and not a problem with the caliper piston itself. If indeed dirt, going to the local self-serve wash and spending a couple
bucks a week if only to blast away at (and in) the wheels should be suffcient to keep 'em clean.
I don't think (not sure, mind) that replacement of both front rotors would be necessary in this case. Granted, you may have to buy them in sets of two, but your existing passenger rotor should be ok. You might want to hang onto it and its pads..maybe even Ebay them for a few bucks.
I had a similar problem with my CRX this summer. Same wheel as you. I was on the highway and it was so bad that in stop and go traffic, the car was actually braking itself to a stop and would lurch to a stop with zero input from me. Kinda felt like I left the e-brake on by mistake. That and the smoke coming from the wheel tipped me off. Thankfully, my rotor was ok. My pads were toast and the brake fluid had boilled, though. Rusted (sticking) caliper pistons were to blame in my case so they were replaced. On a '91 car I guess I can't complain. An '05 is a different story.
My X-Trail is going in for its 24,000km service on Saturday and a front and rear brake service is on the agenda.

 

I'm very impressed with everyone's knowledge here. Too bad the first Nissan techician I took the x-trail to wasn't as knowledgable! I took the car in this morning to a mechanic near by (Nissan was more expensive, surprise!). Only 1 break pad and rotor was warn but I was told that all should be replace. The Nissan technician at 401 & Dixie showed me the pistons were working fine.
This mechanic I took the car too is not bad although I'm still in search of someone who is a bit better at diagnosing problems. I'm open to any recommendations for a good, honest, and reasonable mechanic in the Toronto area.

 

I go to Simone Performance Imports in Newmarket. Not exactly Toronto area, but close.
They specialize in Nissans.
Simone Performance Imports Auto Repair and Racing

 

I had to have my breaks serviced much sooner than normal as well for my experience. It was grinding on the read passenger disc break that alerted me to the problem and the knowledge that it was too late. The Nissan dealer told me both rear discs were scored and that both front pads had worn unevenly (one side was at min spec and the other end of the front pad was over twice the thickness)

2 new rear rotors and machined front and 4 sets of new pads at 65,000 km. I usually dont have to service my brakes until well over 100,000 km and its the front not the rear. Still havent service my rear brakes on my altima which has 265,00 km

I think it will be evident that brakes are an issue on this car. seizing, uneven wear and rapid wear. Not acceptable for the market segment of this vehicle. Maybe you need to service the pads on a mercedes every 20,000 k, but people who buy a midsized gas efficient A to B SUV arent into high maintenance vehicles. Im sure not

I am pretty shocked and disappointed in this regard in Nissan as I thought I was safe from this sort of thing in choosing a reputable Japanese manufacturer and based on my prior history with the pathfinder as far as SUV's go and the Altima fordurability and reliability and low maintenance costs in the 1st 180,000 km