Owners of other Kia and Hyundai vehicles such as the Optima, Forte, Cadenza, K900, Rio, Sorento, Sedona, Soul, Elantra, Veloster, Sonata, Azera, Tucson, Santa Fe, Genesis 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 ratchet, a "C" or "F" clamp and a tube of brake parts lubricant grease.

A few compatible replacement sets of new front brake pads with their part numbers are as follows: Wagner QC1295A, Bosch BP1295, ACDelco 17D1295CH, TRW TPC1295, , Raybestos PGD1295C, Bendix D1295, Monroe CX1295, ACDelco 17D1295CH, Power Stop (16-1295) Z16, Centric 300.12950, Wagner ZD1295A and Bendix D1295 CQ.

The correct part numbers may vary depending on your vehicle's model year, trim level and whether it has the 2WD (two wheel drive) or AWD (all wheel drive) transmission.

Then slightly loosen the five lug nuts on the front wheel by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron.

Raise the front of the SUV 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).

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

On this 2014 Kia Sportage AWD (all wheel drive) model, the wear bar was situated at the top of the inner brake pad.

I recommend buying the Wagner ThermoQuiet QC1295A brake pads since they have great reviews on Amazon.

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

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

Attach the "C" or "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 (near the driver's seat) and twist off the brake fluid reservoir cap in the counterclockwise direction. Set the cap aside in a safe place.

Slowly turn the "F" 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 overflow.

Clean up any spilled brake fluid immediately with a towel and flush the area with water since brake fluid can easily damage painted surfaces.

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

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 Sportage 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.

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.

Install the new brake pads in to the caliper bracket with the wear indicator bar situated at the top of the inner brake pad.

Push the two pads together until they are flush with 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 a bit further.

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

Re-insert the two caliper bolts and spin them in a few turns by hand in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

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

If you haven't already, replace the brake fluid reservoir cap.

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 DOT 3 or 4 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.

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

Carefully lower the SUV from the jack stands 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 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, pour in some fresh DOT 3 or DOT 4 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.

Check out my other 2011-2015 Kia Sportage DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.