🔧 Altima - Rear Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

You’ll remove the rear wheels, unbolt the rear brake calipers, replace the pads, and swap the rotors. On your Altima, the parking brake uses small drum shoes inside the “hat” of the rotor, so you may need to back off that adjuster to get the rotor off.

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

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Support the car on jack stands—never rely on a floor jack alone.
• ⚠️ Chock the front wheels before lifting the rear.
• ⚠️ Hybrid safety: keep the car OFF, keep the key/fob away, and do not touch any orange high-voltage cables.
• ⚠️ Do not press the brake pedal with a caliper removed.
• ⚠️ Brake dust is unhealthy—use brake cleaner, not compressed air.

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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)
• Wheel chocks
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• Lug wrench or 21mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• 1/2" drive breaker bar
• Torque wrench (20–150 ft-lbs range)
• 14mm socket
• 19mm socket
• Flathead screwdriver
• Brake caliper piston compressor tool (specialty)
• Wire brush
• Bungee cord
• Rubber mallet
• Needle-nose pliers
• Brake cleaner spray
• Small drip pan

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Rear brake rotors - Qty: 2
• Rear brake hardware kit (clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• Brake caliper slide pin grease - Qty: 1
• Brake parts cleaner - Qty: 1
• DOT 3 brake fluid - Qty: 1 quart

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground and make sure the car is fully OFF (not in READY mode).
• Release the parking brake (rear rotors won’t come off if it’s applied).
• Chock both front wheels using wheel chocks.
• Crack the rear lug nuts loose 1/4 turn with a 21mm socket before lifting.
• Lift the rear with a floor jack and set it securely on jack stands.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Remove the rear wheels

• Use a 21mm socket to remove the lug nuts and take both rear wheels off.
• Set wheels under the car as an extra safety backup.

Step 2: Remove the rear caliper (do not let it hang)

• Turn the steering wheel slightly if needed for access (you’re working in the rear, so usually it’s not necessary).
• Use a 14mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet to remove the two caliper slide bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and support it with a bungee cord (never by the hose).
• Torque to 25 Nm (18 ft-lbs) when reinstalling the caliper slide bolts.

Step 3: Remove the brake pads and hardware

• Pull the inner/outer pads out of the bracket by hand.
• Use a flathead screwdriver to carefully pop off the stainless pad clips (hardware) if you’re replacing them.
• Spray the bracket contact points with brake cleaner spray and scrub with a wire brush.
• Clean metal makes brakes slide quietly.

Step 4: Remove the caliper bracket

• Use a 19mm socket and 1/2" drive breaker bar to remove the two caliper bracket bolts.
• Remove the bracket and set it aside.
• Torque to 98 Nm (72 ft-lbs) when reinstalling the bracket bolts.

Step 5: Remove the rotor (and back off the parking brake adjuster if stuck)

• Try pulling the rotor straight off by hand.
• If it’s rust-stuck, tap around the rotor hat with a rubber mallet to break it free.
• If it still won’t come off, the parking brake shoes are holding it: remove the small rubber access plug (if present) and use a flathead screwdriver to turn the star-wheel adjuster to retract the shoes.
• Use needle-nose pliers to remove/reinstall the rubber access plug as needed.

Step 6: Prep the hub and install the new rotor

• Clean the hub face with a wire brush and spray with brake cleaner spray.
• Clean protective oil off the new rotor using brake cleaner spray and a shop towel (use your nitrile gloves).
• Install the new rotor onto the hub.

Step 7: Install new pad hardware, pads, and compress the caliper piston

• Install the new pad clips/hardware onto the bracket by hand.
• Apply a thin film of brake caliper slide pin grease where the pad ears touch the clips (do not get grease on the pad friction material).
• Before reinstalling the caliper, compress the piston using a brake caliper piston compressor tool (specialty).
• Keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir level while compressing (catch overflow with a small drip pan).

Step 8: Reinstall caliper bracket and caliper

• Reinstall the bracket and tighten with a 19mm socket.
• Torque to 98 Nm (72 ft-lbs) using a torque wrench.
• Install the new pads into the bracket.
• Set the caliper back over the pads and reinstall the slide bolts using a 14mm socket.
• Torque to 25 Nm (18 ft-lbs) using a torque wrench.

Step 9: Repeat on the other rear side

• Do the same steps on the other rear wheel so braking stays even.
• Always replace pads/rotors in pairs.

Step 10: Reinstall wheels and torque lug nuts

• Reinstall the wheels and hand-thread lug nuts.
• Lower the car to the ground with the floor jack.
• Torque lug nuts in a star pattern using a torque wrench.
• Torque to 113 Nm (83 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• Pump the brake pedal 10–15 times before moving the car (the pedal should feel firm).
• Check brake fluid level and top off with DOT 3 brake fluid if needed.
• Test the parking brake hold on a gentle incline; if it’s weak after rotor replacement, the drum-in-hat shoes may need adjustment.
• Bed-in (break-in) the new pads: do 6–10 smooth stops from 30–40 mph, letting brakes cool a minute between stops. Avoid hard stops for the first 150–200 miles.
• Listen for scraping/grinding; recheck your work if anything sounds wrong.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $450-$900 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $140-$350 (parts only)

You Save: $310-$550 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?

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