So my 03 Montero has started to make a high pitched hissing whistling sound. At first I thought it was just the brake pads rubbing against the rotor, but it does not go away when you hit the brakes. It gets a bit quieter when the brakes are applied, but it is still pretty loud. I dont think it is a brake pad wear sensor, because it is on all the time. Besides, the pad thickness looks OK. I have not pulled the wheels yet, but I will tonight. Can a worn bearing make a noise like that? It only has 36k miles on it. (just out of warranty).

 

Out of curiousity did you inspect both the inner and outer brake pads for wear? You may be wearing one side more than the other. It's happened on mine before.

 

Pulled the wheel and caliper tonight. You were right Offroader. The inside wore a bit more than the outside. Still, it is surprising the warning tab was going off. Ther was probably 3/32 left in the inner pad and 1/8 left on the outer pad. Anyway, nice that it just requires a new set of pads. Only 37k miles though.

 

If you use OEM pads they will last longer unless you opt for high end metalics (only found in specialty shops and not basic auto parts places) but then again they're much more expensive and don't necessarily brake better although I'm not 100% on the last point.

 

So, my wife gets home and I tell her it is just the indicator tab on the brake pads. So, she asks me if I broke off the tab so she would not have to endure the noise until I get time to do a brake job. Well... Umm... No. Did not think of that.[:@]

 

That's fine and in fact it will break off on it's own if left alone, however be careful... If you forget to do them because... well there's enough stuff going on with the holiday season... then you may have a more expensive problem than just swapping out the pads.