🔧 Frontier - Front Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

You’ll remove the front calipers, swap the pads, and replace the rotors (the round “discs” the pads squeeze to stop the truck). New rotors help prevent pulsation (steering wheel shake) and give new pads a smooth surface to bed-in properly.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 2-4 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Support your Frontier with jack stands—never rely on a jack alone.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is harmful—wear eye protection and avoid blowing dust with compressed air.
• ⚠️ Don’t let the caliper hang by the brake hose—support it with a bungee cord.
• ⚠️ Keep brake fluid off paint—wipe spills immediately.
• 🔋 Battery disconnect is not required for this job.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum, pair)
• Wheel chocks
• 21mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• Torque wrench (20–200 ft-lbs range)
• 14mm socket
• 19mm socket
• Flathead screwdriver
• C-clamp (6" or larger)
• Bungee cord
• Wire brush
• Rubber mallet
• Brake cleaner spray
• Shop towels
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Front brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Front brake rotors - Replace in pairs - Qty: 2
• Front pad hardware kit - Qty: 1
• High-temp brake lubricant - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1
• DOT 3 brake fluid - Qty: 1 (only if topping off is needed)

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📋 Before You Begin

• 🧭 Park on level ground, shift to P, and set the parking brake.
• 🧱 Chock the rear wheels with wheel chocks.
• 🧴 Pop the hood and check the brake fluid reservoir level—when you compress the caliper pistons, fluid can rise.
• 📝 Do one side at a time so you can use the other side as a reference.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Loosen lug nuts and raise the front

• Use a 21mm socket and breaker bar to loosen the front lug nuts about 1/2 turn (don’t remove yet).
• Use a floor jack to lift the front, then place jack stands under the frame and lower onto the stands.
• Remove the lug nuts with the 21mm socket and take the wheel off.

Step 2: Remove the caliper (keep the hose safe)

• Turn the steering wheel to give yourself more room (left for right side work, right for left side work).
• Use a 14mm socket and ratchet to remove the two caliper slide bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and support it with a bungee cord.
• Don’t twist or stretch the brake hose.

Step 3: Remove old pads and hardware

• Pull the pads out of the bracket by hand. If they’re stuck, use a flathead screwdriver gently.
• Remove the stainless pad clips (hardware) from the bracket.
• Spray the bracket pad lands with brake cleaner and scrub with a wire brush until clean and smooth.

Step 4: Remove the caliper bracket

• Use a 19mm socket and breaker bar to remove the two caliper bracket bolts.
• Set the bracket aside on a clean surface.
• Reinstall later and Torque to 137 Nm (101 ft-lbs).

Step 5: Remove the old rotor

• Pull the rotor straight off the hub.
• If it’s rust-stuck, spray the hub/rotor center area with brake cleaner, then tap the rotor hat with a rubber mallet to break it free.
• Clean the hub face with a wire brush so the new rotor sits perfectly flat.

Step 6: Install the new rotor

• Spray both sides of the new rotor with brake cleaner and wipe with shop towels (this removes shipping oil).
• Slide the new rotor onto the hub.

Step 7: Service slide pins and reinstall the bracket

• Pull the caliper slide pins out of the bracket by hand (they’re the smooth pins the caliper “floats” on).
• Wipe old grease off with shop towels, apply fresh high-temp brake lubricant, then reinstall the pins.
• Reinstall the bracket using a 19mm socket and torque wrench: Torque to 137 Nm (101 ft-lbs).

Step 8: Install new hardware and pads

• Snap the new stainless hardware clips into the bracket.
• Apply a very thin film of high-temp brake lubricant where the pad ears touch the clips (metal-to-metal contact points only).
• Install the new pads into the bracket by hand.

Step 9: Compress caliper pistons and reinstall the caliper

• Place an old pad against the caliper pistons, then use a C-clamp to slowly push the pistons back in until they’re fully seated.
• Watch the brake fluid reservoir while compressing—remove excess if it gets too high.
• Reinstall the caliper over the new pads.
• Install the slide bolts using a 14mm socket and torque wrench: Torque to 34 Nm (25 ft-lbs).

Step 10: Reinstall wheels and torque lug nuts

• Reinstall the wheel and hand-thread the lug nuts.
• Lower the truck off the stands using the floor jack.
• Use a 21mm socket and torque wrench to tighten lug nuts in a star pattern: Torque to 133 Nm (98 ft-lbs).

Step 11: Repeat on the other front wheel

• Repeat Steps 1–10 on the other side.

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✅ After Repair

• 🦶 With the engine off, pump the brake pedal slowly 10–15 times until it feels firm (this seats the pistons against the new pads).
• 🧴 Check the brake fluid level and top off with DOT 3 if needed.
• 🔍 Check for leaks and make sure both calipers move freely and nothing is rubbing.
• 🛣️ Bed-in the pads: do 6–10 medium stops from ~40 mph down to ~10 mph, letting the brakes cool a bit between stops. Avoid hard panic stops for the first 200 miles.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $500-$900 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $180-$380 (parts only)

You Save: $320-$520 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 2-3 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.