I started noticing this issue recently on my 07 Outlander with 41k miles. Anyone had this issue? Is this a sign that rotors need to be resurfaced or perhaps something else? I am still under warranty for another month, but I really don't want to take it to dealer if they are not going to cover it and just charge for diagnosis.

 

It's a classic sign of warped front rotors.
40k miles is not bad life for a heavy vehicle.

Mitsu rotors are really easy to change.. all you have to do is unbolt the caliper bracket and change it.

 

My Outlander went in for a service and MOT yesterday and had a phone call that it had passed the MOT but the front disks and pads needed changing in about a month so got them to do it while they had it. and it got 42k miles on the clock.

And what a difference the new brakes make..
Gazza

 

Rotors don't really warp, they just get pad deposits in an uneven manner.

Resurfacing + new pads should do the trick (I am saying "+ new pads" because it seems that the OEM pads are only good for about 45K miles).

I replaced the pads but kept the old rotors, didn't resurface. And now I am also getting the steering wheel shake when braking.

 

Just checked on Amazon - you can order a nice rotor for $38. So if you don't feel like taking your car somewhere to do the resurfacing, seems like it is pretty easy to just swap in the new rotors.

Remember when you unbolt the caliper bracket, don't let the caliper hang on the brake line. Use a cord with a hook to hang it on something.

 

classic symptom of warped/out of parallel rotors.

Don't waste money having them refaced.

Replace with new and get the best pads you can afford. You don't want to crawl under it again in 20,000 mi and do it all over, do you?

 

It could be the pads/rotors/damaged wheel stud. I had mine done this past August. They replaced the front pads, said they were completely worn down. They also resurfaced the rotors and replaced a cracked wheel stud (the wheel stud was replaced under warranty). After leaving the dealer the brakes were worse than when I had brought the vehicle in. I ended up taking it back a few weeks later and they resurfaced the rotors again. All seems to be OK now. They said I had a lot of surface left on the rotors and they didn't need to be replaced. This was at 30,000 miles on the vehicle.

 

I traded my 08 ES 4WD in at almost 92k km with original everything. So it probably just depends on how aggressive you are at braking! I had lots of pad left according to the dealership.