Owners of other Nissan or Infiniti vehicles such as the Versa, Altima, Juke, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Murano, Xterra, Pathfinder, Sentra, Cube, Armada, Leaf, Quest, Frontier, 370Z, GT-R, Titan, Kicks, NV, NV200, G25, G37, M35 and M37 may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible replacement sets of new front brake pads with their part numbers are as follows: Wagner QC1374, Akebono ACT1338, Wagner ZD1374, ACDelco 14D1338CH, Bosch BP1338 and KFE KFE1338-104.

The tools and other items needed to complete this procedure include a lug nut wrench, a floor jack, two jack stands, a 14mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet, an "F" clamp and a tube of brake caliper lubricant grease.

Then engage the emergency / parking brake and place wheel chocks on both sides of the rear tires to prevent the vehicle from moving.

Slightly loosen the five lug nuts on the front wheel by turning them about 1/4 to 1/2 turn in the counterclockwise direction with the tire iron.

Raise the front of the car with the floor jack and securely support it with at least two jack stands.

Spin off the five lug nuts in the counterclockwise direction and set them aside in a safe place.

Remove the front wheel to reveal the rotor, bracket, caliper and front suspension.

The bolt heads face in towards the engine bay.

Loosen the top caliper bolt by turning it in the clockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

Then loosen the bottom caliper bolt by turning it in the clockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the car).

Rest the caliper on the rotor or suspend it from the suspension spring with a bungee cord or some rope.

Avoid bending, kinking, stressing or pulling on the rubber brake fluid line.

There are two metal spring clips on the outer edge of the old brake pads that are "V" or "U" shaped.

Remove the old outer brake pad from the bracket.

Make a mental note of where the "wear indicator" or "squeal" bar is situated on the old brake pads.

On this 2016 Maxima, the wear indicator bar was situated at the top of the inner brake pad.

If your new set of front brake pads included replacement brake hardware, pull the old pad abutment or "anti-rattle" clips out of the top and bottom of the bracket.

Apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant to the top and bottom of the new pad abutment clips where they will come in contact with the caliper bracket or the "ears" at the ends of the new brake pads.

Avoid getting grease on the friction surface of the rotor.

In order for the caliper to operate smoothly the two caliper slider pins need to be well lubricated.

Pull the two caliper slider pins out of their rubber dust boots, apply a thin layer of brake lubricant to the smooth parts of each and then push them back into place.

Attach the "F" clamp to the caliper and use the back of an old brake pad to evenly distribute the pressure across the piston.

Move to the right rear corner of the engine bay (close to the driver's seat) and twist off the black plastic cap on the brake fluid reservoir in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the reservoir cap aside in a safe place.

Try to avoid pinching or damaging the rubber dust boot that surrounds the caliper piston.

Repeatedly check the fluid level in the reservoir to make sure it doesn't overflow.

Clean up any spilled brake fluid immediately since it can easily damage painted surfaces.

Once the piston is fully compressed, replace the reservoir cap as soon as possible by twisting it on in the clockwise direction.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air), so don't leave the cap off for longer than necessary.

Thoroughly clean off the brake rotor, caliper bracket, brake caliper assembly and the lug studs with brake parts cleaner spray. Do not use compressed air or blow with your mouth to clean off the brake parts since inhaling brake dust can be harmful to your health. Brake dust may be carcinogenic (cancer causing) if inhaled.

Apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to any area where there is metal to metal contact such as the outer lip of the caliper piston. Do not apply brake caliper grease to the friction surface of the new pads or the rotor.

 If your Maxima has previously exhibited shuddering, pulsations or vibrations in the front end during braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or just replace them with new rotors. If this is the first front brake job on your car and the rotors appear to be in excellent condition, you should be able to just replace the pads with great results.

The wear indicator bar should be situated at the top of the inner brake pad.

Push the two brake pads together until they are flush against the rotor.

Re-attach the two "V" shaped spring clips to the holes in the outer edge of the new brake pads (if equipped).

Line up the bolt holes in the caliper with their corresponding holes in the caliper slider pins.

Spin in the upper and lower caliper bolts a few turns in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Tighten the two caliper bolts in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8"drive ratchet to just past hand tight.

If you have a torque wrench, the caliper bolts should be tightened to 23 lb-ft of torque.

Double check that the two caliper bolts are tight before moving on to the next steps.

If your brake pedal has been feeling soft or spongy, the brake fluid might be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain a few air bubbles.

It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time in order to flush out the old fluid to remove the air bubbles and replace it with fresh DOT 3 brake fluid. For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With An Assistant DIY Guide or alternatively the Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With A Power Bleeder Guide.

Spin on the five lug nuts a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Carefully lower the car from the jack stands by using the floor jack.

Continue tightening the 5 lugs nuts in a star pattern to about 1/4 to 1/3 turn past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts to 83 lb-ft.

Double check that the lug nuts are tight before driving.

Sit in the driver seat and firmly pump the brake pedal a few times to fully restore the brake line pressure.

Check the brake fluid in the reservoir and verify that it is at the proper level. If it is low, add some fresh DOT 3 fluid.

To break in your new front brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which might glaze over the new pads and cause them to be noisy and not perform as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly check your driveway for drops of fresh brake fluid which may indicate a leak, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir and also verify that the lug nuts are still tight.

Be sure to record the brake pad change in your vehicle's service records.

Please check out all of my 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.