2007-2011 Nissan Armada Brake Job Guide: Symptoms, Costs and the Right Parts

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2007-2011 Nissan Armada means pads and, in most cases, rotors at the front and rear corners, because this full-size SUV uses disc brakes at all four wheels. The front brakes do most of the stopping and usually wear out first; the rear pads last longer but still need attention, and the parking brake uses its own small shoes inside the rear rotors. Nissan built audible wear indicators into the pads, so a high-pitched scraping sound while driving is your clearest sign that it is time.

How the Armada Brake System Is Built

Nissan's owner's manuals for the 2008 and 2011 Armada describe the same basic layout for this generation, so the job is the same across 2007-2011:

• Four-wheel disc brakes. The manual states that the front and rear disc-type brakes self-adjust every time the brake pedal is applied. There are no rear drums to adjust on the service brakes.
• Foot-operated parking brake with its own shoes. The parking brake is a pedal you press firmly to set and press again to release. Nissan's break-in note refers to parking brake shoes and drum/rotors, which tells you the rear rotors carry a small drum section inside the hat for the parking brake shoes.
• Vacuum-assisted booster. The brake booster uses engine vacuum. If the engine stalls, you can still stop, but the pedal gets much harder and stopping distance grows.
• Two separate hydraulic circuits. If one circuit fails you still have braking at two wheels.
• ABS and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC). The system modulates brake pressure at individual wheels. ABS still operates even with VDC switched off.
• DOT 3 fluid. Nissan specifies Genuine NISSAN Super Heavy Duty Brake Fluid or an equivalent DOT 3.

An Armada is heavy, often tows, and often carries a full load of passengers. All three put more heat into the brakes than a car ever sees, which is why pads and rotors on this truck tend to wear together rather than letting you get two sets of pads out of one set of rotors.

Symptoms That Your Armada Needs a Brake Job

Nissan notes that an occasional light squeak or squeal during light to moderate stops can be normal and does not affect performance. The wear-indicator sound is different: it is a steady scrape that happens while the truck is moving whether or not you are on the pedal.

Front vs Rear: What Wears and When

Weight shifts forward under braking, so the front brakes on the Armada handle the majority of the work and wear faster than the rears. On a typical truck the fronts come due first, and the rears follow later. That order can change if the rear caliper slides seize or if the truck spends a lot of time towing, where the trailer pushes on the whole vehicle and the rear brakes get worked harder.

Always service brakes in axle pairs - both fronts or both rears - so the truck stops straight. When you do the rear brakes, look at the parking brake shoes inside the rotor hat at the same time. You have to pull the rear rotors off to reach them anyway, and it is cheap insurance.

Whatever the age of the truck, measure the rotors against the minimum thickness cast into them. A rotor below that value has to be replaced, not resurfaced. On a heavy SUV, new rotors are often the better call even when the old ones are just above minimum, because thinner rotors hold less heat.

What to Replace Together

• Pads and rotors as a set. Fresh pads on worn or glazed rotors are the most common cause of noise and shudder complaints after a brake job. Our brake pads and brake rotors collections are the place to start, and a matched kit saves you from mixing parts.
• Hardware. Abutment clips and anti-rattle springs lose tension with heat. A brake hardware kit keeps the new pads sliding freely and quiet.
• Calipers if they are sticking. A caliper that drags causes uneven wear and a pull. Replace calipers in pairs with loaded or bare calipers when a piston is seized or a boot is torn.
• Brake hoses on an older truck. The newest trucks in this range are well over a decade old. Rubber hoses crack and can swell inside. If they look weathered, replace them with new brake hoses while the calipers are already off.
• Brake fluid. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time. When the job is done, bleed or flush with DOT 3 as Nissan specifies, and top off to the MAX line.

For pad choice, a ceramic compound gives low dust and quiet operation for daily driving. If the Armada tows regularly, consider a pad formulated for heavier duty and heat, since towing is where this truck is hardest on brakes. Browse our ceramic brake pads or the full brake parts catalog.

How Hard Is the Job, and What Drives the Cost

Front and rear pad-and-rotor replacement on the Armada is a reasonable driveway job for someone with a floor jack, jack stands rated for a full-size SUV, a torque wrench and basic hand tools. The parts are large and heavy, and caliper brackets are tightened hard from the factory, so a breaker bar helps. Tighten caliper bolts, bracket bolts and lug nuts to the values in the factory service manual - do not guess on a vehicle this heavy.

The rear brakes take a little longer than the fronts because of the parking brake. Back the parking brake shoes off if the rotor will not come off, inspect the shoes, and after the job complete Nissan's parking brake break-in procedure. Nissan's manual says to break in the parking brake shoes whenever the parking brake feels weak or whenever the shoes or drum/rotors are replaced, and points to the service manual for the procedure.

What makes one brake job cost more than another comes down to a few things:

• Pads only vs pads and rotors. Rotors are the larger part cost on a truck this size.
• One axle vs both. Doing front and rear at once roughly doubles parts, but saves a second trip.
• Labor vs doing it yourself. Shop labor is usually billed per axle; the rears take more time because of the parking brake.
• Extras found on inspection. Seized calipers, cracked hoses and old fluid all add parts and time.

Check the Brake Pedal Recall on 2008-2010 Trucks

NHTSA campaign 10V072000 covers certain 2008-2010 Nissan Armada, Titan and Infiniti QX56 models, plus 2008-2009 Quest. The end of the brake pedal pivot pin may not have been spin-formed to specification, so the pin could slide and let the pedal partially disengage from its bracket. The driver would feel unusual looseness in the pedal and reduced braking force. Dealers inspect the pin and replace the pedal assembly if needed, free of charge. If you are working on a used 2008-2010 Armada, run the VIN through a recall check before or during the brake job. A new set of pads and rotors cannot fix a loose pedal.

After any brake job, pump the pedal with the engine running until it is firm before you move the truck, then bed the new pads in with a series of moderate stops so the pad material transfers evenly to the rotors. Avoid hard stops and towing for the first stretch of driving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 2007-2011 Armada have rear drum brakes?

No. It has disc brakes at all four wheels. The only drum surface is the small section inside the rear rotor hat that the parking brake shoes press against.

What brake fluid does a 2007-2011 Nissan Armada use?

Nissan specifies Genuine NISSAN Super Heavy Duty Brake Fluid or an equivalent DOT 3 fluid. Use fresh fluid from a sealed container.

Why are my Armada brakes making a scraping sound when I am not braking?

That is most likely the audible pad wear indicator. Nissan designed the pads to make a high-pitched scraping sound while the vehicle is moving, braking or not, when replacement is needed. Have the brakes checked as soon as possible.

Should I replace rotors every time I replace pads on an Armada?

Not always, but often. If the rotors are below the minimum thickness marked on them, scored, or causing shudder, replace them. On a heavy SUV that tows, pads and rotors frequently wear out together.

Do I need to do anything after replacing the rear rotors?

Yes. Inspect or replace the parking brake shoes, then perform the parking brake break-in procedure Nissan specifies whenever the shoes or drum/rotors are replaced, so the parking brake holds properly.

Does the Armada brake pedal recall affect my truck?

Recall 10V072000 covers certain 2008-2010 Armadas. Not every truck in that range is included, so check your VIN with Nissan or NHTSA to confirm.

Sources

1. Nissan 2008 Armada Owner's Manual - four-wheel self-adjusting disc brakes, audible pad wear indicators, DOT 3 fluid, vacuum-assisted booster, dual hydraulic circuits, foot parking brake and shoe break-in
2. Nissan 2011 Armada Owner's Manual - confirms the same brake layout, DOT 3 spec and parking brake break-in for the later years
3. NHTSA Recall 10V072000 - brake pedal pivot pin recall for 2008-2010 Armada
4. NHTSA recall data, 2008 Nissan Armada - recall summary, consequence and free remedy