Owners of other Nissan vehicle such as the Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue,  Note, Leaf, Juke, Kicks, Latio, Almera, Sunny, Qashqai, NV200, Pathfinder, Frontier and X-Trail may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible sets of new front brake pads with their part numbers include the following: Bosch BC1592, Wagner ZD1592, ACDelco 14D1592CHF1, Power Stop 17-1592 and Bendix SBC1592.

The tools and other items needed to complete this procedure include a plastic pry bar tool or a large flat head screwdriver, 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 grease.

The first few steps are to drive the car on to a level surface, shift the transmission into "Park" and turn off the ignition.

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

Use the plastic pry bar tool to gently pull the plastic wheel cover or "hub cap" off front wheel.

Set the plastic wheel cover aside in a safe place.

I prefer to only work on one side of the car at a time to keep three tires on the ground for extra safety.

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

Please do not solely rely on the floor jack to support the car.

I used a trolley style floor jack so I lifted the car under the frame rail. If you are using the scissor jack that was included with the car in the trunk, you can lift the vehicle under the pinch weld.

Place the two jack stands under the frame rail. Do not place the jack stands under the pinch weld since it could be bent or damaged.

Continue loosening the four lug nuts in the counterclockwise direction.

Please note for later on that the tapered side of the lug nuts should be installed flush against the wheel.

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 also turning it in the clockwise direction (when viewed from the outside of the car looking in towards the engine bay) with the 14mm socket and the 3/8" drive ratchet.

Carefully lift the caliper off the old pads and out of the bracket.

Try to avoid stressing, kinking, bending or pulling the rubber brake fluid hose.

This 2019 Versa is equipped with two "V" or "U" shaped drag reduction metal spring clips.

These friction reducing clips help keep the pads away from the rotor when you are not actively braking to increase fuel economy.

If your Versa is equipped with these clips, carefully remove them and set them aside for re-installation later on.

The wear indicator or "squeal" bar on this 2019 Versa was located at the top of the inner brake pad.

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

Clean off the rotor, lug studs, bracket and caliper with brake parts cleaner spray.

Try to avoid breathing in the brake dust or the cleaning spray since they could be carcinogenic.

Apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to the top and bottom of the pad abutment clips.

Push the new clips down into the top and bottom of the bracket.

Avoid getting the grease on the friction surface of the rotor or the new pads.

Make sure the new pad abutment clips are fully seated in place.

In general, it is a good idea to not mix up the top and bottom caliper slide pins since they may be slightly different.

Pull out one caliper slider pin at a time, apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to it and push it back into the bracket until the rubber dust boot snaps over the raised ring near the larger end.

In order for the caliper to fit over the thicker new brake pads, the piston will need to be compressed back.

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

I have a Yost Tools 18" F Clamp that is the perfect size for compressing the caliper pistons on most cars.

Twist off the reservoir cap by turning it in the counterclockwise direction.

Removing the reservoir cap will allow the brake fluid to more easily travel back through the system when you compress the piston.

Slowly turn the "F" clamp handle in the clockwise direction to push the piston back into the caliper.

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

Continue retracting the piston until it is just about flush with the rubber dust boot that surrounds it.

Avoid leaving the reservoir cap for any longer than necessary since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air).

Rotor Replacement Instructions

If your Versa has been shuddering, shaking or vibrating when you step on the brake pedal, the rotors might be warped or worn out and should be replaced.

To replace the rotors, remove the two 17mm bolts on the back side of the bracket. Set the bolts and the bracket aside.

Slide the rotor off the lug studs and the wheel hub. If you have trouble removing the old rotor, hit it with a rubber mallet a few times to loosen any corrosion (rust) or debris.

A few compatible replacement front brake rotors with their part numbers are as follows: DuraGo BR901112, Centric 121.42116 and ACDelco 18A80981A.

Slide the new rotor over the lug studs and against the wheel hub.

Lower the bracket back into place and spin in the two 17mm bolts. Tighten the two 17mm bracket bolts to the service manual specification of 62 lb-ft (or 84.3 N-m) of torque.

Install the new outer brake pad into the bracket.

Orientate the wear indicator bar at the top of the inner brake pad and slide it into the bracket.

If your new brake pads are equipped with the small holes on the outer edge, re-attach the two "V" shaped metal spring clips.

Carefully lower the caliper over the new brake pads and into the bracket.

If the caliper won't fit over the thicker new pads, you might need to compress back the piston a bit further.

Line up the bolt holes in the caliper with their corresponding bolt holes in the slider pin within the bracket.

Spin in the two bolts a few turns by hand in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the car) to help prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

If you have a torque wrench, the service manual specification for tightening the two 14mm caliper bolts is 20 lb-ft (or 26.48 N-m).

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

It would be a good idea to bleed the brake lines and flush out the old fluid with fresh new DOT 3 brake fluid.

I highly recommend using the Allstar Performance Bleeder Bottle to bleed the brake lines. It makes the procedure an easy one-person job compared to having an assistant pump the brake pedal for you over and over again.

The brake fluid bleeder valve is located on the back side of the caliper just below the top bolt. To open and close the valve, you'll need a 11mm wrench.

Most cars have bleeder valves that require a 10mm wrench or an 8mm wrench. I was surprised to see 11mm bleeder valves on this Versa. If your Versa has a different size bleeder, please use the contact page to let me know.

In general, the brake line bleeding order for most vehicles is to start at the caliper furthest from the brake fluid reservoir and work your way to the closest caliper. So the order should be as follows: right rear, right left, front right and front left.

The torque specification in the shop manual for tightening the bleeder valves is 8 lb-ft (or 11 N.m).

Push the front wheel and tire back over the lug studs.

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

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

Continue tightening the lug nuts in the clockwise direction to about 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts to the 83 lb-ft (or 113 N.m) torque specification in the owner's manual.

Line up the plastic hub cap with the cut out section for the tire valve in the correct location.

Firmly tap all around the edges of the hub cap to secure it into place.

Double check that the wheel cover is securely attached.

Sit in the driver's seat and push down on the brake pedal a few times to help restore the brake line pressure.

Make sure the fluid level in the reservoir is at the "Full" or "Maximum" line. If necessary, slowly pour in some new DOT3 brake fluid until it reaches the full line.

To break in your new pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid hard or "panic" stops to prevent from glazing over the new pads which could lead to noisy brakes or reduced braking performance.

It would be a good idea to check your parking spot, driveway or garage for drops of fresh brake fluid over the next few days which might indicate a leak from the bleeder valves or the reservoir.

Don't forget to write down the procedure in your car's service records.

Please check out all of my 2012-2019 Nissan Versa DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.