1 Brake Pad almost gone - caliper issue?

I swear a lot of time when you go into the shop for maintenance/fix things they somehow screw up something. Half the time I'm getting another issue shortly after going to the shop. My conspiracy theorist in me thinks they are up to something

Could be seized caliper piston or sliders are dry, corroded or binding causing the pad not to float properly causing excess wear would be my guess.

zzzz24 wrote: ↑ Hello,

I had all for pads/rotors replaced and calipers serviced less than a year ago. One rear wheel started squealing the other day. Took off wheels to do tire change over and noticed the wheel that is squealing has the brake pad down to almost nothing and the rotor is a lot more rusty/worn looking, when the other 3 look clean.

Any idea what could have caused this to happen? Brake caliper issue?

Wondering if this could be my issue, if this maybe started happening in the last couple months and didn't notice there was an issue until now, or if the shop had not done something....
Definitely wasn't expecting to need my brakes looked at again after such a short amount of time...

Ya, might be a caliper issue. You'll have to do some diagnosis.

Seized slider pin, bad caliper, etc.

mxthor3 wrote: ↑Seized slider pin, bad caliper, etc.

Seized sliders, that's why you need to service the brakes annually to prevent stiff like this from happening.

seized pin or bad caliper are usually the two logical reasons for premature pad wear

just take the pin out and lube it up and if you end up changing the entire caliper, remember to bleed the brakes

How do we tell if the caliper goes bad?

Anyway to check while greasing the pins?

Pistons are for life of the vehicle or does bad caliper mean a bad piston?

cristianosham wrote: ↑ Seized sliders, that's why you need to service the brakes annually to prevent stiff like this from happening.

I'll bet whoever changed the pads and rotors did a half-assed job, and didn't remove all the rust, check the pins, and/or apply new lubricant.

alanbrenton wrote: ↑ How do we tell if the caliper goes bad?

Anyway to check while greasing the pins?

Pistons are for life of the vehicle or does bad caliper mean a bad piston?

Yeah, typically a bad caliper means a siezed piston. It can also have leaking fluid seals.

You can check this by pushing (or twisting) the piston(s) back into the caliper body. They should push back smoothly and kind of easily. If it takes significant force, then they're on the verge of seizing. If they won't move, they're seized.

zzzz24 wrote: ↑ Hello,

I had all for pads/rotors replaced and calipers serviced less than a year ago. One rear wheel started squealing the other day. Took off wheels to do tire change over and noticed the wheel that is squealing has the brake pad down to almost nothing and the rotor is a lot more rusty/worn looking, when the other 3 look clean.

Any idea what could have caused this to happen? Brake caliper issue?

Wondering if this could be my issue, if this maybe started happening in the last couple months and didn't notice there was an issue until now, or if the shop had not done something....
Definitely wasn't expecting to need my brakes looked at again after such a short amount of time...

What's the pad condition of the other rear wheel? Could you take some photos of both the rear rotor/caliper/pads? Usually, there would be discoloration on the alloy rim from excessive brake dust (unless you are OC and wash/polish the rim often) if it has been going that long. Both the caliper and rotor top hat would exhibit signs of overheating metal (reddish tinge). Servicing of the calipers requires the cleaning and lubrication of the caliper slider pin. I just can not see the rear brakes failing in less than a year if the car had a brake job as you said.

Something you may also consider that the work was never completed on the particular wheel by your previous garage. It definitely would not be the first time.

Ford Explorer..."brake dragging"?
On my 2016 Explorer, the same thing happened to one side on the rear.
It was the caliper bracket with excessive corossion causing the pads to stick.

I had to remove the bracket, wire brush the shit out of it and file down the notch where the pad ear sits to give it some room to play.

The other pad was at least 3/8 left. Next to nothing on the one in question. I am assuming the issue has been on-going and I didn't notice until the squealing started the other day. They were done last summer.

The other 3 rotors look fine, solid metal colour, the one on in question has a lot of brown/rusty streaks going around it now, probably from being worn down. The rotor was having trouble spinning around as easily as it should. I've never tried changing brake calipers before, but it seemed to loosen the stiffness of the rotor once I knocked on the caliper a few times with a hammer, it could spin easier after that. It definitely had lubricant still from the last service. I don't want to run out and get new pads for it again (even though it needs some now) if the issue might be the caliper, etc a swell. or the issue may come up again and wreck that pad as well.

Everything was changed by a well known place in the GTA with good reviews, been going there for years. This is the first brake job I have had done on the vehicle.

You only had them done last summer? How many kms since? Has it sat a lot? May want to revisit them and see what they say, but chances are they won't do much but replace them again (and hopefully figure out if its the caliper or hose.)

So I had a family member take my car in since I was working and it turns out the caliper was seized, making the brake pad stick and wearing out extremely prematurely.
Needed new brake pads again as a result, new caliper, etc.

I don't recall calipers ever needing to be replaced really... so is this just a fluke - or should I have been advised back when I had my brake job done that the calipers were looking pretty corroded and on their way out?
Also wondering why only one caliper was replaced, if getting new pads for both wheels again. The other one could be fine or be nearing the end of it's life at some point as well...

This is quite an expensive brake job as a result of this happening. Kind of surprised I am not getting a deal on the parts or labour at this point.

Should the brake pads have technically been under warranty still or is that out of the window because of the caliper causing the issue?

zzzz24 wrote: ↑ So I had a family member take my car in since I was working and it turns out the caliper was seized, making the brake pad stick and wearing out extremely prematurely.
Needed new brake pads again as a result, new caliper, etc.

I don't recall calipers ever needing to be replaced really... so is this just a fluke - or should I have been advised back when I had my brake job done that the calipers were looking pretty corroded and on their way out?
Also wondering why only one caliper was replaced, if getting new pads for both wheels again. The other one could be fine or be nearing the end of it's life at some point as well...

This is quite an expensive brake job as a result of this happening. Kind of surprised I am not getting a deal on the parts or labour at this point.

Should the brake pads have technically been under warranty still or is that out of the window because of the caliper causing the issue?

It happens. Sometimes some road debris can damage the rubber boot on the piston or slider bolt and the grease leaks out and moisture gets in.

There's no need to replace the working calliper as it would cost you twice as much. It could also get damaged shortly after when driving.

When something like this happens, it is road hazard and usually not faulty workmanship. Even if it is, how can you prove it?

zzzz24 wrote: ↑ So I had a family member take my car in since I was working and it turns out the caliper was seized, making the brake pad stick and wearing out extremely prematurely.
Needed new brake pads again as a result, new caliper, etc.

I don't recall calipers ever needing to be replaced really... so is this just a fluke - or should I have been advised back when I had my brake job done that the calipers were looking pretty corroded and on their way out?
Also wondering why only one caliper was replaced, if getting new pads for both wheels again. The other one could be fine or be nearing the end of it's life at some point as well...

This is quite an expensive brake job as a result of this happening. Kind of surprised I am not getting a deal on the parts or labour at this point.

Should the brake pads have technically been under warranty still or is that out of the window because of the caliper causing the issue?

You could replace the other caliper, but then you'd complain its expensive. Not sure why you're expecting a deal when the part was faulty and required a replacement? Thats the nature of the repair business.

Its possible when the brakes were done last summer there were no issues with them and over the winter due to salt/dirt and other crap they stopped working properly.

This is why its very important to check and service your brakes at least once a year, I do it when I change over from winters to summers. I take everything off, inspect the caliper, the rubber boots, lube it all up and back together. This helps it to continue to function properly. I also wash my car regularly to make sure I get salt and dirt off my brakes/calipers so there is less chance of it causing issues down the road. going above and beyond Maintenance is very important if you want things to last because these parts are not built to last.

zzzz24 wrote: ↑ So I had a family member take my car in since I was working and it turns out the caliper was seized, making the brake pad stick and wearing out extremely prematurely.
Needed new brake pads again as a result, new caliper, etc.

I don't recall calipers ever needing to be replaced really... so is this just a fluke - or should I have been advised back when I had my brake job done that the calipers were looking pretty corroded and on their way out?
Also wondering why only one caliper was replaced, if getting new pads for both wheels again. The other one could be fine or be nearing the end of it's life at some point as well...

This is quite an expensive brake job as a result of this happening. Kind of surprised I am not getting a deal on the parts or labour at this point.

Should the brake pads have technically been under warranty still or is that out of the window because of the caliper causing the issue?