I have a 05 Pontiac Sunfire has 43,000 miles on it. My front left brake pad is wore down to the indicator, but my right front pad is fine. What happened? And. Can I change one side or should I go ahead and do both?
The left front caliper is probably hanging up and not returning to the position where the pad is not in contact ( or very lightly ) with the rotor. If you aren't familiar with brake repair, take it to a reputable shop for repair. The calipers float on pins. if these pins are corroded, it will prevent the caliper from releasing back to a neutral position. These pins should be greased with silicone grease to keep them moving smoothly.
Brakes should always be done in pairs, both front together, and both back together. There is wear on the right side, but it is not as obvious as the left. What could have happened is the seals in the caliper went bad, there could be water or air in the brake line, alignment could be off, the tire could have been low on pressure for a long time, or the pads were just bad.
Some braking systems apply more pressure on the front left pad b/c the master cylinder on those vehicles lead to it firsthowever I doubt that is your problem b/c your vehicle is an '05. You're supposed to replace both brake pads at once. They're usually sold as pairs (4 pads) anyways, but if there isn't much wear at all on your right brake then it would be more economical to just change out the left. Especially if you're just going to need to change the left again. Most importantly, have a mechanic look at your brakes so you can determine the problem. One place you don't want to skimp on a vehicle is with the brakes. If they fail, you have the potential for serious and possibly fatal problems.
