Owners of other Hyundai or Kia vehicles such as the Tucson, Veracruz, Accent, Elantra, Veloster, Sonata, Azera, Genesis, Equus, Forte, Optima, Sorento, Rio, Soul, Sportage and Sedona may also find this guide to be helpful.

To complete this rear brake job, you'll need the following items: a floor jack, jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 14mm socket or wrench, a "C" or "F" clamp, and a set of new rear brake pads.

A few compatible sets of new rear brake pads with their part numbers are as follows: Wagner QC1284, Wagner ZD1284, Bosch BP1284, Akebono ACT1284, Bosch BE1284, Power Stop 16-1284, Raybestos SGD1284C & Callahan CP10077B.

Then raise up the rear of the vehicle with a floor jack, securely support it with at least two jack stands and chock the front wheels with wood blocks or bricks to prevent them from moving.

Spin off the five lug nuts, pull off the rear wheel and set it aside in a safe place. Behind the wheel you'll see the rear brake caliper, rotor and caliper bracket.

Locate the lower caliper bolt on the back side of the caliper and remove it with a 14mm socket or wrench.

Secure the caliper in the upward position by tying it to a suspension component with some twine or rope.

This will prevent the caliper from crashing down on your fingers or the rotor while you are replacing the brake pads.

Make a mental note of where the wear indicator or "squeal" bar is located.

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

I recommend buying the Wagner ThermoQuiet QC1284 brake pads since they have excellent reviews on Amazon. I also love how they don't require any backing plates or shims due to the built in insulators. Plus they are true to their name as far as being quiet.

If the lower caliper pin wasn't well lubricated, apply some high pressure and temperature brake caliper grease to both the upper and lower caliper pins.

Attach the "C" or "F" clamp to the caliper using an old brake pad to help evenly compress it.

The cap on the brake fluid reservoir should already be removed to allow the fluid to easily travel through the system when the piston is compressed.

Slowly compress the piston while repeatedly checking the brake fluid level in the reservoir to keep it from overflowing.

Only compress the piston as far back until it is flush with the rubber dust boot.

Clean off the rotors, caliper and caliper bracket with some brake parts cleaner spray.

To help prevent braking noise, apply some CRC Disc Brake Quiet gel or a similar product to the rear of the brake pads where they come in contact with the caliper.

If your vehicle exhibits shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations while braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or better yet just replace them altogether with brand new rotors. If this is the car's first brake job and the rotors are in excellent condition, you should be able to just replace the pads with great results.

If the caliper won't fit over the new pads, compress the caliper piston a bit more using the "C" clamp.

Tighten the bolt using the 14mm socket with ratcheting wrench to just past hand tight.

If you have a torque wrench, tighten both caliper bolts to about 25-30 ft lbs.

If your brake pedal previously felt mushy or spongy, the brake fluid may be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain air bubbles. It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time to flush out the old brake fluid and replace it with new DOT 3 brake fluid. For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding Guide.

Then progressively tighten the lug nuts in a star or criss cross pattern.

Lower the vehicle from the jack stands and complete tightening the lug nuts to about 1/4 to 1/2 turn past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench or air gun with a torque stick to tighten the lug  nuts to 75 to 100 ft lbs.

Get into the driver's seat and pump the brake pedal a few times to restore brake line pressure.

Then check the brake fluid level in the reservoir and verify that it is above the "MIN" (minimum) line. If it is low, pour in some new DOT 3 fluid.

Once the brake fluid level is correct, replace the brake fluid reservoir cap.

To break in your new brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops.

It's also a good idea to regularly inspect your garage or driveway for drops of brake fluid which may indicate a leak, verify the brake fluid level in the reservoir, and also check that the lug nuts are still properly tightened a few days later.

For more, visit my Hyundai Santa Fe SUV Repair & Maintenance Guides page.