2006-2007 Dodge Magnum Brake Caliper Problems and Replacement

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

Brake caliper trouble on a 2006-2007 Dodge Magnum usually shows up as a pull to one side, a hot or smelly wheel, or one pad worn far thinner than its partner. On the V6 and V8 cars the cause is most often a sticking slide pin or a seized phenolic piston in the floating caliper; on the SRT8 it is usually a dragging piston in the four-piston Brembo. The fix is to find which corner is dragging, then service or replace that caliper along with fresh pads and properly lubricated hardware.

Which Calipers Your Magnum Has

The Magnum shares the LX platform with the Charger and Chrysler 300, and the caliper you have depends on the engine and trim. Order the wrong one and the pads, bracket and hose fitting will not line up, so confirm before you buy.

The quickest check is to look through the wheel. A single large piston behind the pads with a caliper that rides on two slide bolts is the base setup. Two pistons side by side on the inboard half is the V8 caliper. Red-painted calipers with pistons on both sides of the rotor are the SRT8 Brembos, and those do not slide at all. Every version uses a small drum-in-hat parking brake inside the rear rotor, so the rear caliper itself has no parking brake mechanism.

Symptoms of a Bad Caliper

• Pull under braking or while cruising. A caliper that will not release keeps a pad against the rotor and tugs the car toward that corner.
• One wheel much hotter than the others after a short drive, often with a burning smell or brake dust caked heavily on just that wheel.
• Uneven pad wear. On a floating caliper, an inner pad worn to the backing plate while the outer pad still has life points at seized slide pins. Both pads worn thin on one side of the car only points at a sticking piston.
• Noise. A dragging pad squeals or grinds, and a caliper that shifts on dry or corroded pins can clunk.
• Fluid on the inside of the wheel or tire means a leaking piston seal or bleeder. Treat that as a stop-driving problem.
• Soft or sinking pedal can come from a leaking caliper, but on these cars also rule out the rear brake line recall covered below.

What Causes Magnum Caliper Problems

Dry or corroded slide pins

The single- and twin-piston calipers center themselves by sliding on two pins. When the grease dries out, the pin rusts and the rubber boot hardens or tears from heat and friction, the caliper stops moving freely. The result is the classic one-pad-worn-out pattern plus noise. The fix is to pull the pins, inspect them, replace any that are pitted, and relube with high-temperature brake grease, plus rubber-safe grease on the boots and sleeves.

Galvanic corrosion on hardware

Brake technicians who work on the LX cars note that the caliper hardware is prone to galvanic corrosion, so bolts and clips can bind or break on removal. The pad abutment clips should be replaced with every pad job, not reused.

Piston damage and the wrong replacement piston

The non-SRT calipers use phenolic (composite) pistons. Chrysler's service guidance is that no tools should contact the pistons; push them back with a piece of wood. A chipped piston face lets moisture past the seal and leads to sticking. Some rebuilt calipers have been supplied with steel pistons in place of phenolic, which has been linked to fade and noise complaints, so check what you are buying.

Old brake fluid

Moisture-laden fluid corrodes pistons and bores from the inside. If a caliper has seized on a car with dark, old fluid, expect the other calipers to follow, and flush the system when you do the repair.

Rule Out the Rear Brake Line Recall First

If your Magnum has the 2.7L V6 and you have a fluid leak or a soft pedal, check recall campaign 06V149000 before blaming a caliper. NHTSA lists it for the 2006 Magnum: on 2.7L cars there can be inadequate clearance between the rear brake tubes and the exhaust gas recirculation tube, and over time the tubes can wear through and leak fluid. The remedy is a dealer inspection, free replacement of damaged tubes, and a clip to hold the lines away from the EGR tube. Run your VIN on the NHTSA recall lookup; a leak there can look a lot like a failing caliper.

Replacing a Caliper: How Hard It Is and What to Do

On the V6 and R/T cars, a caliper swap is a moderate driveway job: two caliper bolts, the brake hose banjo bolt, then a bleed. The front and rear caliper bracket bolts and caliper bolts all have different torque values, and the lug nuts are torqued higher than many owners expect, so work from the factory service manual numbers with a torque wrench. The SRT8 Brembos bolt straight to the knuckle and are simpler mechanically, but they are expensive, so a dragging Brembo is often worth a proper rebuild rather than a swap.

1. Confirm the bad corner (hot wheel, uneven pads, pull) and check that the brake hose is not collapsed internally, which can hold pressure on a good caliper.
2. Replace calipers in pairs on the same axle so both sides clamp evenly.
3. Fit new pads and abutment clips, and lube the slide pins. See our brake pads and brake hardware kits.
4. Measure the rotors. These cars have very tight limits on runout and thickness variation, which shows up as pedal pulsation. If the rotors are heat-checked or worn, replace them; see brake rotors.
5. Bleed the system. The base sequence on the LX cars is right rear, left rear, right front, left front, with the bleeder opened at least one full turn. If air gets into the ABS unit, the ABS portion needs a separate scan-tool bleed.

For SRT8 owners who want better bite from the stock Brembos, the DBA SP500 street performance front pads for the Magnum SRT8 fit the four-piston front caliper. For base and R/T cars, browse our replacement brake calipers and Cardone remanufactured calipers, and confirm the piston count against the table above.

What to Replace at the Same Time

• Pads on both sides of the axle. Pads that ran against a dragging caliper are often glazed or tapered.
• Abutment clips and slide pin boots. Cheap, and the usual root cause.
• Brake hoses if they are cracked or original. A hose that swells internally can mimic a stuck caliper; see brake hoses.
• Rotors if the dragging caliper overheated them.
• Brake fluid, with a full flush.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my Magnum has single-piston or twin-piston front calipers?

Look behind the wheel spokes. V6 cars normally have one large piston in a floating caliper; V8 cars use a twin-piston floating caliper. The SRT8 has red four-piston Brembo calipers. Check yours before ordering, because the pads and calipers are not interchangeable.

Can I just replace one caliper?

You can, but replacing both calipers on the axle is the better practice. An old caliper on one side and a new one on the other can clamp unevenly and cause a pull.

Why does my inner brake pad wear faster than the outer one?

On a floating caliper, that almost always means the slide pins are dry, rusted or bent, so the caliper cannot center. Clean or replace the pins and relube them when you install new pads.

Is the rear parking brake part of the caliper?

No. The Magnum uses a small drum-style parking brake inside the hat of the rear rotor, so the rear caliper has no parking brake mechanism. You remove the rear rotor to reach and adjust the parking brake shoes.

Can the SRT8 Brembo calipers be rebuilt?

Yes, rebuilding is a common choice because replacements are costly. Keep metal tools off the pistons and refill with the fluid type printed on the reservoir cap.

Is there a recall for Magnum brakes?

Recall 06V149000 covers 2.7L cars with rear brake tubes that can rub on the EGR tube and leak. It is not a caliper recall, but a leak from it can be mistaken for one. Check your VIN with NHTSA.

Sources

1. Brake and Front End - Brake Job: Dodge Magnum, Challenger, Charger - caliper types by engine, phenolic pistons, drum-in-hat parking brake, galvanic corrosion, abutment clips, rotor tolerances, bleed sequence
2. NHTSA recall data for the 2006 Dodge Magnum - recall 06V149000 rear brake tube and EGR tube clearance
3. ADVICS Aftermarket - Troubleshooting Caliper Slide Pin Sticking - slide pin corrosion, boot wear, symptoms and lubrication fix