Owners of other Hyundai or Kia vehicles such as the Optima, Cadenza, K900, Sorento, Sportage, Sedona, Soul, Elantra, Veloster, Sonata, Azera, Tucson, Forte, Genesis, Cerato, Spectra, Accent, Sephia, i20, i30, ix35, i40 and Equus may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a lug nut wrench, a floor jack, two jack stands, a 14mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench, a "C" or "F" clamp and a tube of synthetic brake parts lubricant grease.

A few compatible replacement sets of rear brake pads with their part numbers include the following: Wagner QC1284, Dura International BP1284, Bosch BP1284, Bendix D1284, Akebono ACT1284 & genuine OEM Hyundai 58302-2WA00.

The correct part numbers might vary depending on your vehicle's model year and whether it has 2WD (two wheel drive) or AWD (all wheel drive).

Then slightly loosen the 5 lug nuts on the rear wheel by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron.

Raise the rear of the SUV with the floor jack and securely support it with at the two jack stands.

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

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

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

Then loosen the other 14mm bolt at the top of the caliper by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle).

Rest the caliper on the suspension or suspend it from the spring with a bungee cord or a piece of twine.

Pull the old inner and outer brake pads out of the bracket.

On this 2014 Santa Fe Sport, the wear bar was situated at the bottom of the inner brake pad.

I recommend buying the Wagner QC1284 "ThermoQuiet" brake pads since they have excellent reviews on Amazon.

In order for the caliper to operate smoothly, the two caliper slider pins or "guide pins" inside the bracket need to be well lubricated.

Pull the caliper slider pins out of their rubber dust boots, apply a thin layer of brake caliper grease to each before pushing them back in to their dust boots.

Attach the "C" clamp to the caliper using the back of an old brake pad to evenly distribute the pressure across the piston.

Move to the right rear area of the engine bay (near the driver's seat) and twist off the brake fluid reservoir cap in the counterclockwise direction. Set the plastic cap aside in a safe place.

Slowly turn the "F" clamp handle in the clockwise direction to push back the piston while repeatedly checking the level in the brake fluid reservoir to make sure it doesn't over flow.

Clean up any spilled brake fluid immediately with a towel and rinse the area with water. Brake fluid can easily damage painted surfaces.

Replace the brake fluid reservoir cap as soon as possible since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air).

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

 If your Santa Fe previously exhibited shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations in the front end during braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or it may be easier and less expensive to just replace them with new rotors. If this is the SUV's first front brake job and the rotors appear to be in good condition, you should be able to just change the pads with excellent results.

To remove the existing rotors and install new ones, remove the two bolts on the rear of the caliper bracket that attach it to the steering knuckle. Then remove the two Phillips head set screws before loosening the old rotor with a rubber mallet. Pull it off, and slide the new one in its place.

Replace the two set screws. Re-attach the caliper bracket with the two 17mm bolts.

The 2013-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe shop manual has a torque specification range of 47.0 lb-ft to 54.2 lb-ft (or 63.7 N*m to 73.5 N*m) for the 14mm caliper bracket bolts that attach it to the wheel hub.

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

Install the new brake pads in to the caliper bracket with the wear indicator bar situated at the bottom of the inner brake pad.

Push the two pads together until they are flush with the rotor.

Carefully lower the caliper over the new brake pads and in to the bracket.

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

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

Re-insert the two caliper bolts and spin them in a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to prevent the bolts from becoming cross threaded.

Tighten the upper and lower caliper bolts by turning them counterclockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and 3/8" drive ratchet to just past hand tight.

The 3rd generation (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018) Hyundai Santa Fe service manual has a torque specification range of 15.9 lb-ft to 23.1 lb-ft (or 21.6 N*m to 31.4 N*m) for the 14mm rear caliper "guide rod bolts".

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

The brake fluid bleeder valve is located underneath a rubber cap on the back side of the caliper just below the upper caliper bolt.

Slightly tighten the lug nuts in a "criss cross" or "star" pattern with the lug nut wrench.

Carefully lower the SUV from the two jack stands by using the floor jack.

Continue progressively tightening the five lug nuts in a "criss cross" or "star" pattern to about 1/8 to 1/4 turn past hand tight or about 65 to 80 lb-ft of torque.

It would be best to use a torque wrench or an impact wrench with a torque stick to properly tighten the lug nuts.

The owner's manual torque specification for the lug nuts is a range of 65.1 lb-ft to 79.6 lb-ft (or 88.3 N*m to 107.9 N*m).

Sit in the driver's seat of the vehicle and firmly pump the brake pedal a few times to 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, pour in some fresh DOT 3 fluid.

To break in your new rear brake pads, just drive normally for a few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which may 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 or garage floor 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.

For more, check out all of my 2013-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.