Owners of other Jeep, Dodge and RAM vehicles such as the Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Renegade, Gladiator, Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer, Wagoneer, Charger, Challenger, Durango, RAM 1500, Promaster, 2500 and 3500 may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible replacement sets of front brake pads with their part numbers are as follows: Power Stop 17-1811, Bendix CFC1811 and Callahan CPK01059.

The tools and other items needed to complete this procedure include a floor jack, two jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 14mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet, an "F" clamp and a tube of brake caliper grease.

The first few steps are to park the SUV on to a level surface, shift the transmission into "Park" and turn off the ignition.

Engage the emergency / parking brake and place wheel chocks on both sides of the rear tires to help prevent the vehicle from moving.

Slightly loosen the five lug bolts on the front wheel by turning them about 1/4 to 1/2 turn in the counterclockwise direction.

Carefully raise the front of the SUV with the floor jack and securely support it with at least two jack stands placed under the frame rail.

I prefer to only work on one side of the vehicle at a time to keep three tires on the ground for extra safety.

Set the five lug bolts aside in a safe place.

(FYI, most vehicles use "lug nuts".)

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

The bolt heads face in towards the engine bay.

Loosen the top caliper bolt by turning it in the clockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

Then loosen the bottom caliper bolt by also turning it in the clockwise direction (when viewed from the outside of the SUV) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

If the caliper slide pins turn as you are attempting to loosen the bolts, hold them in place with a 17mm wrench.

Note - If you were to slide under the engine bay of the vehicle and look at the back side of the caliper, you would loosen the bolts in the "normal" counterclockwise direction. Since we are looking at the outer face of the caliper, the orientation of the bolts is reversed which is why they are loosened in the clockwise direction from this perspective.

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

Try to avoid bending, twisting, kinking or pulling on the rubber brake fluid hose.

There are small metal retaining tabs on the pad abutment clips that hold the pads in the bracket.

Use a flat head screwdriver to push in the retaining tab on either the top or bottom pad abutment clip.

Repeat the process to push in one of the retaining tabs on the pad abutment clips for the inner brake pad.

Remove the inner brake pad from the bracket.

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

On this 2019 Compass Trailhawk 4X4 model, the wear indicator bar was located at the top of the old inner brake pad.

Clean off the rotor, bracket, caliper and lug stud holes with some brake parts cleaner spray.

Apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to the top and bottom of the new pad abutment clips where they will come in contact with the bracket or the new pads.

Do NOT get any grease on the friction surface of the new pads or the rotor.

Push the new pad abutment clips into the top and bottom of the bracket. Make sure the clips are fully seated in place.

Pull out the caliper slide or "slider" pins one at a time, apply a thin layer of brake parts lubricant grease to the smooth part of each pin and then push them back into their rubber dust boots.

Do NOT mix up the two caliper slide pins since they are slightly different.

On most vehicles, the "leading" caliper slide pin (the one that the rotor passes first when traveling forward), is equipped with a rubber sleeve or bushing to help prevent rattling and brake noise by dampening any vibrations. Some vehicles have a rubber bushing on both the top and bottom slide pins or one pin that is beveled or "fluted" rather than smooth. The best way to prevent any problems is to just lubricate one slide pin at a time and not mix them up.

So the front of the vehicle with the caliper situated in front of the rotor would have the "leading" pin at the top of the rotor and the "trailing" pin situated at the bottom of the caliper.

To replace the front rotors, first remove the set screw on the outer face by turning it counterclockwise with a 5mm hex head socket (or a 5mm Allen key wrench). Then remove the two 16mm bolts on the back side of the bracket. Set the bracket aside in a safe place. Carefully slide the old rotor off the wheel hub and slide on the new one. Line up the bracket and reattach it with the two 16mm bolts.

I don't have the service manual for the 2017 to 2022 Jeep Compass, but I've read on the forum that the torque specification for the 16mm front caliper bracket bolts is 110 lb-ft (or 149 N-m). Please verify this torque specification value for your vehicle.

Note - If you plan on taking your Jeep off road, it would be a good idea to apply a small amount of Loctite Red (high strength - requires heat for removal) threadlocker fluid to the two bracket bolts. (The OEM bracket bolts have some red thread locking adhesive applied to them at the factory.)

Replace the set screw by turning it in the clockwise direction until it is snug.

A few compatible replacement front brake rotors with their part numbers are as follows: Centric 121.63080, Callahan CRK01610 and Raybestos 982043R.

In order for the caliper to fit over the thicker new brake pads, the piston needs to be compressed (or "retracted") back into the caliper assembly.

Attach the "F" clamp to the caliper and use the back of an old brake pad to evenly distribute the pressure across the piston.

Twist off the cap by turning it in the counterclockwise direction. Removing the cap will allow the brake fluid to more easily travel back through the system when you compress the caliper piston.

Slowly turn the "F" clamp hand in the clockwise direction to compress back the piston.

Make sure the piston is going back into the caliper evenly and not at an angle.

Continue retracting the caliper piston until it is just about flush with the rubber dust boot that surrounds it.

Try to avoid pinching or damaging the rubber dust boot.

Since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air), the cap should not be left off any longer than necessary.

Orientate the wear indicator bar at the top of the new inner brake pad.

Install the new inner brake pad into the bracket.

Install the new outer brake pad into the bracket.

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

Carefully lower the caliper over the new brake pads and into the bracket.

Try to avoid pulling, stressing, kinking or bending the rubber brake fluid hose.

Tighten the two caliper bolts by turning them in the counterclockwise direction (when viewed from the outside of the vehicle) with the 14mm socket and a 3/8" drive ratchet.

I don't have the shop manual for the 2017 to 2022 Compass, but I found the torque specification on a Jeep Compass forum for the front caliper bolts as being 26 lb-ft (or 35 N*m). Please verify this value for your vehicle.

Note - If you plan on taking your Compass off road, it would be a good idea to apply a small amount of Loctite Blue (medium strength - removable with hand tools) threadlocker adhesive fluid to the caliper bolts.

If your SUV's brake pedal has recently felt soft or spongy, the brake fluid may be contaminated with water or the brake lines might 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 new DOT 3 brake fluid.

For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With An Assistant DIY Guide or alternatively take a look at my 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 top caliper bolt.

To loosen the brake fluid bleeder valve, you'll need an 11mm wrench.

Spin in the five lug bolts a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to make sure they don't become cross threaded.

Slightly tighten the five lug bolts in criss-cross or star pattern by turning them in the clockwise direction with the tire iron.

Carefully lower the vehicle from the jack stands by using the floor jack.

Continue tightening the lug bolts in a criss-cross or star pattern in the clockwise direction with the lug nut wrench until they are snug.

If you have a torque wrench, the owner's manual lists a torque specification of 100 lb-ft (or 135 N*m) for tightening the lug bolts.

Sit in the driver's seat of the SUV 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 brake fluid from a new bottle.

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/or not perform as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly check your driveway, garage or parking spot for drops of fresh brake fluid which might indicate a leak from the bleeder valve, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir and also verify that the lug bolts are still tight.

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

Please check out all of my 2017-2022 Jeep Compass DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.