How to Replace Front Brake Pads on Tesla Model Y (2020-2024)

A Model Y brake pad replacement is one of the few jobs on these cars that behaves exactly like a conventional vehicle — with two exceptions that catch workshops out. The caliper-to-knuckle bolts are single-use, and the grease goes on the pad edges, never the backing plate. Get those two right and the job is under an hour per axle.

The OEM flat rate time is 0.60 hours for both front corners — correction code 33010702 for base brakes, 33010712 for sport brakes. That figure already includes the supporting work: raising the vehicle, removing the rear underhood apron and pulling the front wheels. Do not stack those separately.

Why Model Y Brake Pads Last So Long — And Why That Matters

Regenerative braking does most of the stopping, so the friction pads see a fraction of the wear a comparable combustion car would. That is why Model Y front brake service is usually about pads and inspection, not the pad-and-disc job you would quote on an equivalent combustion car. When one does come in, it is usually for one of four reasons:

• Squeal or groan at low speed. Often pad glazing or worn anti-rattle springs rather than the pad material itself.
• A dragging wheel with heat build-up. Seized caliper slide pins or a sticking piston — replacing pads alone will not fix it.
• Grinding metal on metal. Someone left it too long. Check rotor thickness before quoting, because pads are rarely the only part needed.
• Corrosion from standing. Cars that sit for weeks in coastal or winter conditions rust the discs and lift the pad surface.

Tesla Brake Pad Torque Values

Fastener	Torque	Tool	Reuse or replace
LH front caliper to LH front knuckle (bolts)	94 Nm (69.3 lb-ft)	External Torx E18	Replace
LH front brake hose bracket to LH front knuckle	5 Nm (3.7 lb-ft)	10 mm socket	Reuse

Note that the caliper bolts are listed as replace, not reuse. They are not a “good enough” item.

Tools and Consumables

• External Torx E18 socket — the caliper bolts will not come out with anything else
• 10 mm socket
• Brake caliper S-hook — to hang the caliper, not let it dangle on the hose
• Caliper spreader kit or equivalent
• Plastic trim tool — for lifting the pads out of the caliper
• Silaramic brake grease
• Soapy water and a small brush
• A 2-post lift or equivalent, with proper support

Removal

1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Remove the rear underhood apron.
3. Remove the LH front wheel.
4. Remove the bolt that attaches the LH front brake hose bracket to the knuckle (10 mm).
5. Remove and discard the bolts attaching the LH front caliper to the knuckle (E18).
6. Hang the caliper on the body with an S-hook. Never let it hang by the hose.
7. Gently spread the pads apart with a caliper spreader.
8. Lift the pads out of the caliper with a plastic trim tool.
9. Repeat steps 3 to 8 for the RH front.

Installation

1. Apply a thin layer of Silaramic grease to the left and right side edges of each pad. Do not apply grease to the back of the pad — this is the step most often skipped or done wrong.
2. Brush the caliper and the anti-rattle springs with soapy water to clear dust and old grease.
3. Fit the pads to the caliper: push them toward the anti-rattle springs first, then slide them onto the fixed pins.
4. Refit the caliper with new caliper-to-knuckle bolts. Torque to 94 Nm (69.3 lb-ft).
5. Refit the brake hose bracket bolt and torque to 5 Nm (3.7 lb-ft).
6. Refit the wheel, lower the vehicle, and press the brake pedal until it is firm before moving the car.

Brake Burnishing Is a Separate Line

The OEM procedure was updated specifically to stop people bundling this in: brake burnishing is billed as a separate activity on the service visit, not stacked into the pad replacement FRT. Quote it on its own line — it is real work, and it protects you if the customer complains about noise afterwards.

Five Mistakes That Cause Comebacks

1. Reusing the caliper bolts. They are single-use for a reason.
2. Greasing the back of the pad. The procedure is explicit that grease goes on the edges only.
3. Forcing the piston back on a car with ancient brake fluid. On a healthy caliper this is usually fine, but pushing degraded fluid back through the ABS unit is a risk you do not need to take.
4. Not checking rotor thickness. Pads arriving at minimum thickness usually mean the disc is not far behind.
5. Handing the car back without bedding the new pads. The customer hears a noise on the way home, and you get the phone call.

What This Job Is Not

Nothing here touches the high-voltage system — front brake pads on a Model Y are a conventional mechanical repair. Where it stops being routine is when the complaint is a dragging caliper, a brake-by-wire fault, or a warning that needs a module-level tool to clear. That is the point to stop guessing.

Source

Procedure summarised and rewritten from the publicly published Tesla Model Y Service Manual, group 3301 Brake Pad Kit – Front, correction codes 33010702 and 33010712. Torque values, tooling and equipment references are taken from that document. Always work from the current official procedure for the vehicle’s build and software version.