dramatically uneven front brake wear (R side much more than L)

[bkr317]

Hello, first time in a forum and first time Mitsubishi owner. I was wondering if any owners of a 2014 Mirage had problems with their calliper causing uneven wear on their brakes? I bought the car brand new, and at about 22k miles my right front brake started grinding. It didn't squeak ahead of time to let me know the brakes needed replacing, so I took it to the dealer to see what was wrong. They told me it was my brakes, and they took me back to show me that my right front side had ground down to the rotor, and I had to have it replaced. But the left front brake still had 2 cm of padding left! They fed me some melarky about how the way I drive could have caused it (i.e taking more right turns than left turns), and that the Mirage uses smaller, lighter parts. However, I used to drive a used '03 Mazda up and down the Cajon pass 5 days a week, and the brakes NEVER wore down so unevenly. My Dad also used to be a mechanic, and he said that didn't seem right.

Any insight or similar experiences are appreciated. Thank you!

[MetroMPG]

Hi, bkr317. Welcome to the forum.

I've NEVER heard of significantly uneven brake wear from one side to the other.

Hope you don't mind I copied your post to its own thread to hopefully get some more eyeballs on it (and responses).

[live4redline]

You hit the nail on the head, they fed you some melarky. It is not possible for driving conditions to effect one brake pad more then the other that is directly proportional (Front Brakes vers. Rear Brakes).

A few things can cause this issue...

- The pistons in the caliper not retracting due to a sticking caliper [or] a crushed brake line leading to that caliper, typically the hard line. If this is the case you will see excessive brake pad wear again on that side in the future.

- The pad was not floating correctly in its seat. The pads sit in a seat and need to be able to be able to move or float in said seat. If they can not the brake pad is pushed against the rotor and just keeps riding the rotor till it wears it down, each time the brake being pressed forcing it more inward until the pad is gone. This can be caused by dirt, grime, small rocks, mud, dried up brake pad grease being in the wrong place. (*I have a twelve year old Evo with 40K miles and original brake pads and rotors that had pads that were sticking to the rotor due to aged grease and dust not allowing the pads to retract. A simple cleaning, fixed the issue.) Changing the pads on this side may have also cured your issue and you'll never notice it again.

Keep your documentation and check on it again in the future in case the dealer needs to replace the caliper or worst case scenario replace a brake line.

Safety wise, there's nothing to worry about unless you notice any other issues if that is any reassurance.

[deleted user]

Somethings wrong that is causing your right front caliper to do most of the stopping and the left front to do a lot less and it is not the way you drive.

Jack up the front end and see if either brake is dragging after application. The dealership people who are "working" on your problem are idiots.

My first guess would be a faulty abs control unit since it happened in 22k miles, unless you live in the worst place in the country for rust, or drive in salt water only on the right side.

regards
mech

[R01k]

The only way your driving habits could have caused such uneven wear is if you always keep the left wheel on the air. As old mechanich said, jack up the front and check for resistance. Also, keep an eye on the pads in case the problem hasn't gone away.

[Eggman]

I've seen corroded calipers cause this.