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 sets of new front brake pads with their part numbers include the following:  Raybestos PGD1432C, ACDelco 17D1432CH, Monroe GX1432, Power Stop 16-1432, Bendix D1432, TRW TPC1432, Dura International BP1432, Centric 103.14320 and Wagner QC1432.

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 front wheel by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron.

Raise the front of the car with the floor jack and securely support it with 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 5 lug nuts and set them aside in a safe place.

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

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

Carefully pull the brake caliper out of the bracket and off the old pads.

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

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

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

If your new set of front brake pads include replacement brake hardware, pull the old metal pad abutment or "anti-rattle" clips out of the top and bottom of the bracket and install the new ones in their place.

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

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

Attach the "F" 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 (behind the engine air filter box) and twist off the brake fluid reservoir cap in the counterclockwise direction. Set the reservoir cap aside in a safe place.

Slowly turn the "C" clamp's 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 flush the area with water since brake fluid can easily damage any painted surfaces.

Continue compressing the caliper piston until it is flush with the rubber dust boot surrounding it. Try to avoid pinching or damaging the rubber dust boot that surrounds the piston.

Replace the brake fluid reservoir cap as soon as possible since brake fluid is "hygroscopic" which means it readily 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 and secure it with the two large 17mm bolts.

The service manual specification for tightening the 17mm front caliper bracket bolts is a range of 57.9 lb-ft to 72.3 lb-ft (or 78.5 N*m to 98.1 N*m) of torque.

I recommend buying the Wagner ThermoQuiet QC1432 brake pads since they have great reviews on Amazon.

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.

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

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

If the caliper won't fit over the new pads, you may need to compress the piston back some more.

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

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

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

If your brake pedal previously felt soft or spongy, the brake fluid may 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.

Carefully lower the SUV from the 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 65.1 to 79.5 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 press 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 new 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 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 for drops of 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.

If you replaced the brake pads, be sure to record the change in your SUV's service records.

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