Owners of other Chrysler, Dodge and RAM vehicles with similar rear brake hardware such as the Town & Country, 300, 200, Avenger, Challenger, Charger, Dart, Durango, Grand Caravan, RAM 1500 and Ram C/V Tradesman may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The items needed to complete this procedure include a floor jack, two jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 13mm socket, a disc brake piston tool (Lisle part # 28600), a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench, and a tube of brake parts lubricant grease.

A few compatible replacement sets of new rear brake pads with their part numbers include the following: Wagner ZD1596, Wagner QC1596, Raybestos PGD1596C, Wearever NAD 1326, Bosch BP1326, Centric 301.10210, Power Stop 16-1326, EBC UD1326, ACDelco 14D1596CH, TRW TPC1596, Monroe CX1596, Bendix D1596, Bosch BC1596 and ProAct ACT1596.

Then slightly loosen the 5 lug nuts with the tire iron by turning them counter clockwise.

Raise the rear of the vehicle 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 for extra safety.)

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

Pull off the rear wheel to reveal the brake caliper, bracket, rotor and suspension.

Loosen the lower caliper bolt by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 13mm socket attached to a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench.

Then loosen the upper 13mm caliper bolt by turning it clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle).

Spin out the upper and lower caliper bolts and set them aside in a safe place.

Lift the rear brake caliper out of the bracket and carefully rest it on the suspension or hang the caliper from the suspension spring with some twine or a bungee cord.

Try to avoid stressing, bending or kinking the rubber brake line.

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

Make a note of how the wear indicator or "squeal" bars are situated on the old brake pads. On this 2013 Journey, the wear bars were located at the top of both the inner and outer brake pads.

I've always had great experiences with the Wagner ThermoQuiet QC1596 brake pads and I love how they don't require any backing plates, shims or disc brake quiet gel since they have built in insulators.

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

Apply a thin layer of brake caliper grease in between the pad abutment clips and the bracket.

Try to avoid getting any grease on the friction surfaces of the brake rotor.

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

Carefully pull the upper and lower caliper pins out of their rubber dust boots, apply a thin layer of brake parts grease to each one and then gently push them back in to their rubber dust boots.

You'll need either a special tool such as the Lisle 28600 disc brake piston tool or you can use a pair of needle nose pliers.

The caliper piston will need to be turned backwards in order for the caliper to fit over the thicker new brake pads.

Attach the tool to an extension bar and a 3/8" ratcheting wrench.

Move to the right rear area of the engine bay (closest to the driver's seat) and twist off the yellow brake fluid reservoir cap in the counter clockwise direction. Removing the brake fluid cap will allow the fluid to more easily travel backwards through the lines when you retract the piston.

Slowly rotate the caliper piston in the clockwise direction to retract it backwards in to its rubber dust boot. Turn back the piston until it is flush with the rubber dust boot.

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

Twist on the cap 1/4 turn in the clockwise direction.

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 (cancer causing) if inhaled.

If your Journey previously exhibited shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations in the rear end during braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or just replace them with brand new rotors. If this is the SUV's first rear brake job and the rotors appear to be in good condition, you should be able to just change the pads with great 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 loosen the old rotor with a rubber mallet, pull it off, and slide the new one in its place.

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 face of the rotor.

Install the new inner and outer brake pads in to the bracket with the wear bars at the bottom of each pad.

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

Spin in the upper and lower caliper bolts a few turns in the counter clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Tighten the caliper bolts by turning them counter clockwise (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 13mm socket and ratcheting wrench.

If your brake pedal previously felt soft or spongy, the brake fluid may be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain some 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 DOT3 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 right next to the upper caliper bolt.

Replace the rear wheel and spin on the 5 lug nuts by hand in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Slightly tighten the lug nuts in the clockwise direction with the tire iron wrench.

Continue progressively tightening the 5 lug nuts in a criss cross or star pattern to about 1/4 turn past hand tight or about 100 ft-lbs 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.

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, add some DOT 3 fluid.

To break in your new rear 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/or 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.

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

For more, check out my other Dodge Journey Repair & Maintenance Guides.