Uneven brake pad wear – GM vehicles

Fix Uneven brake pad wear – GM Vehicles

Uneven brake pad wear on 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt after brake job. HHR, Pontiac pursuit, Pontiac G5 after brake job.

When a repair fails after you’ve follow the procedures to the letter, it’s time to stop and check the factory service bulletins for updated parts or procedures. You can subscribe to an online service like eautorepair.net or alldatadiy.com for about $30/year. Then you can access repair procedures, service bulletins, and wiring diagrams. The service bulletins alone can save you a lot of time and frustration.
In this case, GM has detected an issue with the brake systems on 2005-08 Chevrolet Cobalt (excluding the SS model) , 2006-08 Chevrolet HHR (excluding the SS model), 2006 Pontiac Pursuit (Canada only), and 2007-08 Pontiac G5. Service bulletin #08-05-23-003B says that uneven pad wear can be caused by dust, dirt, and debris getting caught between the inner brake pad and the rotor. GM has designed a new “splash shield” to direct airflow and debris away from the inner pads. Contact your dealer for these new shields. You’ll have to remove the hub/bearing assembly and replace the old spacer with the new shield. Follow the procedures in the shop manual. Then install new pads and reassemble the brakes. Follow the break-in procedure for the new pads and you should be noise-free.

© 2012 Rick Muscoplat