🔧 Camry - Rear Brake Pad Replacement

Your Camry may have either rear disc brakes (caliper + rotor) or rear drum brakes (drum + shoes). Rear pads apply only to disc brakes, so the first step is identifying what you have.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 1.5-3.0 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• 🛑 Support the car with jack stands—never rely on a floor jack alone.
• 🔥 Brakes can be extremely hot; let everything cool before touching.
• 🧤 Do not inhale brake dust; use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ Keep the parking brake OFF during rear brake service (it can clamp the rear brakes).
• 🔋 Hybrid note: you don’t need to disable the high-voltage system for rear pads, but keep the car OFF and the key/fob away from the vehicle.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• Wheel chocks
• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Breaker bar 1/2" drive
• Torque wrench 3/8" drive (10-100 ft-lbs range)
• Torque wrench 1/2" drive (50-250 ft-lbs range)
• 21mm socket
• 14mm socket
• 17mm socket
• Ratchet 3/8" drive
• Flathead screwdriver
• C-clamp (6" minimum)
• Brake caliper hanger hook (specialty)
• Wire brush
• Brake cleaner spray
• Turkey baster or suction syringe

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Rear brake pad hardware kit (clips/shims) - Qty: 1
• Brake lubricant (silicone or synthetic brake grease) - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1
• Rear brake rotors - Qty: 2 (optional, if worn/grooved)

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, turn the car OFF, and place wheel chocks at the front wheels.
• Make sure the parking brake is released (rear brakes won’t come apart correctly if it’s on).
• Open the hood and locate the brake fluid reservoir; if it’s near “MAX,” use a turkey baster to remove a little fluid (so it won’t overflow when you compress pistons).
• Loosen rear lug nuts 1/2 turn before lifting the car.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Confirm rear brake type (disc vs drum)

• Look through the rear wheel spokes with a flashlight.
• If you see a caliper grabbing a flat rotor, you have rear disc (pads).
• If you see a closed round “can” with no caliper, you have rear drum (shoes). This job is different.

Step 2: Lift and secure the rear of the car

• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift at the correct rear jacking point.
• Set the car down onto jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Give the car a gentle shake to confirm it’s stable.

Step 3: Remove the rear wheels

• Use a 21mm socket and breaker bar 1/2" drive to remove the lug nuts.
• Remove the wheel and set it under the rocker panel as a backup safety measure.

Step 4: Remove the rear caliper (disc brake setup)

• Turn the steering wheel is not needed for the rear; keep it straight.
• Use a 14mm socket with a ratchet 3/8" drive to remove the caliper slide pin bolts.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket.
• Hang the caliper using a brake caliper hanger hook (specialty) (this is a strong hook that holds the caliper so the brake hose isn’t stretched).

Step 5: Remove old pads and hardware

• Pull the old pads out of the bracket by hand.
• Use a flathead screwdriver to carefully pop off the old pad clips/hardware.
• Use brake cleaner spray and a wire brush to clean rust from the pad “shelves” where the clips sit.

Step 6: Compress the rear caliper piston

• Place one old brake pad against the piston face.
• Use a C-clamp (6" minimum) to slowly compress the piston straight back into the caliper.
• Go slowly and watch the brake fluid reservoir so it doesn’t overflow.
• Slow pressure prevents seal damage.

Step 7: Install new hardware and pads

• Install the new pad clips from the hardware kit by hand (they should fully “seat” into the bracket).
• Apply a thin layer of brake lubricant where the pad ears contact the clips (metal-to-metal contact points only).
• Install the new pads into the bracket.

Step 8: Reinstall the caliper

• Lower the caliper over the new pads.
• Install the slide pin bolts by hand first (to avoid cross-threading).
• Use a torque wrench 3/8" drive (10-100 ft-lbs range) and 14mm socket: Torque to 34 Nm (25 ft-lbs).

Step 9: If removing the caliper bracket (only if rotor replacement is needed)

• Use a 17mm socket with a breaker bar 1/2" drive to remove the bracket bolts.
• Reinstall bracket bolts using a torque wrench 1/2" drive (50-250 ft-lbs range): Torque to 88 Nm (65 ft-lbs).

Step 10: Reinstall wheels

• Put the wheel on and hand-thread lug nuts.
• Snug lug nuts using a 21mm socket in a star pattern.
• Lower the car off the stands using the floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Final tighten with a torque wrench 1/2" drive (50-250 ft-lbs range) and 21mm socket: Torque to 103 Nm (76 ft-lbs).

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✅ After Repair

• With the car still OFF, press the brake pedal slowly 10–15 times until it feels firm (this seats the pistons against the new pads).
• Check brake fluid level and top off only if needed.
• Test at low speed first. Make sure braking is smooth and the car stops straight.
• Pad bedding (recommended): make 6–8 moderate stops from 30–40 mph, with cooling time between stops.
• Recheck for leaks/noise and confirm lug nuts remain tight.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $250-$450 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $60-$180 (parts only)

You Save: $190-$270 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 1.5-2.5 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.