Creaking Brakes - Any Ideas?

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SomeGuyFromNYC

Member
:
'14.5 CX5 Grand Touring AWD w/ tech
So for the last week I have been noticing whenever I brake a little harshly, I get a creaking/groaning noise from the front end. When I let off the brakes, the front end also creaks/groans.

It is only coming from the front end, and does not happen every time, but I can still easily reproduce the sounds by just braking a few times in a row.

I took off all my wheels to inspect the brake pads and I have plenty of pad material left on all 4 corners. The rotors look to be in good shape too.

What could be the cause of this? I have been googling these symptoms and people in similar situations are getting responses to check the calipers/slide pins?

Thoughts?

I still have a firm brake pedal feel and the brake fluid is between MAX & MIN, slightly closer to MAX.

I won't be able to take my car to a mechanic until at least Tuesday. I have just over 15k miles.
 
Are you sure its the brakes? I had control arm bushings recently replaced per TSB. Never heard it during braking, but this solved some weight shifting noises.
 
craigo said:
Are you sure its the brakes? I had control arm bushings recently replaced per TSB. Never heard it during braking, but this solved some weight shifting noises.
Click to expand...

I am assuming it is the brakes because the creaking and groaning only happens during braking - when coming to a complete stop. It again happens when I release my foot off the brake pedal.

The noise does not appear when driving at all, even when going over bumps/potholes/during turns.

Was there a visible defect with your control arm bushings? All bushings from my visual inspection when I had my wheel off looked perfect.
 
SomeGuyFromNYC said:
I am assuming it is the brakes because the creaking and groaning only happens during braking - when coming to a complete stop. It again happens when I release my foot off the brake pedal.

The noise does not appear when driving at all, even when going over bumps/potholes/during turns.

Was there a visible defect with your control arm bushings? All bushings from my visual inspection when I had my wheel off looked perfect.
Click to expand...

For me, the noise appeared when backing and turning from a relatively steep approach angle at moderate speed (my driveway and others like it, mostly). Every now and then I would hear it accelerating from a stop as the weight shifted. The dealer did the investigating and determined it was the control arm bushing. Apparently Mazda redesigned it and changed the material within the last year or so.

If you hear a creak on level ground without any movement, perhaps it is a sticky something in the caliper.
 
I would do some spirited driving/braking on the open road. Doing so will help clear out any debris stuck on your rotors.
 
craigo said:
For me, the noise appeared when backing and turning from a relatively steep approach angle at moderate speed (my driveway and others like it, mostly). Every now and then I would hear it accelerating from a stop as the weight shifted. The dealer did the investigating and determined it was the control arm bushing. Apparently Mazda redesigned it and changed the material within the last year or so.

If you hear a creak on level ground without any movement, perhaps it is a sticky something in the caliper.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately This doesn't sound like the symptoms I am encountering. As far as I can tell it ONLY happens when I am braking, never any time else.


CX-5um said:
I would do some spirited driving/braking on the open road. Doing so will help clear out any debris stuck on your rotors.
Click to expand...


Not too many roads in NYC to do this, but I'll see what I can do!
 
This noise is known by brake engineers as "creep/groan" as it is often heard when creeping forward in traffic. I can tell you from 17 years in the brake development industry that it really doesn't matter and doesn't represent a safety issue. However, it can be a nuisance and vehicle manufacturers are painfully aware of it. The pads should give a smooth dynamic performance but some can stick then slip which gives that creaking sound. It cannot be fixed without changing pad material but as mooted above, you can reduce it by getting them hot (conditioning) but it will return with time. You might get some better results by trying some German pads like Textar, Pagid or Jurid which have far more abrasive inclusion and will keep gummy deposits from forming on the disc.
 
Anchorman said:
This noise is known by brake engineers as "creep/groan" as it is often heard when creeping forward in traffic. I can tell you from 17 years in the brake development industry that it really doesn't matter and doesn't represent a safety issue. However, it can be a nuisance and vehicle manufacturers are painfully aware of it. The pads should give a smooth dynamic performance but some can stick then slip which gives that creaking sound. It cannot be fixed without changing pad material but as mooted above, you can reduce it by getting them hot (conditioning) but it will return with time. You might get some better results by trying some German pads like Textar, Pagid or Jurid which have far more abrasive inclusion and will keep gummy deposits from forming on the disc.
Click to expand...

I've been doing a lot of hard braking, speeding up and then slamming on the brakes to try and clean/smooth the pads and rotors without much luck. I think I am going to have my mechanic take a look and as long as he confirms it is nothing else, I may live with this annoyance for a year and get a brake job before my next inspection. It would be such a waste now to replace the pads and rotors, because from when I checked, they both were in great shape with plenty of meat left of on the pads.

I just had my inspection this year at the very beginning of the month and there were no noises at all. Less than 2 weeks after my inspection, this started.
 
Don't change the discs, they are just plain old gray cast iron. Your mechanic might improve the situation by cleaning any deposits from the disc with IPA or thinners but it will soon come back. My new (5000 mile) CX-3 does it all the time. I just ignore it.
 
Mine usually does the groan when the brakes are cold and I am stopped going downhill. I just use more braking force or slip the gearshift into neutral while I wait. Some cars are worse than others.
 
Tom 6-6 said:
Mine usually does the groan when the brakes are cold and I am stopped going downhill. I just use more braking force or slip the gearshift into neutral while I wait. Some cars are worse than others.
Click to expand...

It has been warmer the last 2 days and I have noticed probably a 50% reduction in noise.

Which is weird because it was not that cold the last 2 weeks. It was much colder in the past, for more days in a row, and my brakes never groaned.
 
I have this same creaking during harsh braking on my '17 CX5 GT AWD.. sounds like suspension at first because the front feels like it's moving some but could just as easily be the brakes. Still less than 400 miles on it so hopefully it will just go away but it's only during quick braking so not all that annoying.
 
I just installed new pads and rotors on the front of my 2014 CX5 Touring. I now have this same issue. It's only during harder braking, and the groaning noise happens within the last few feet before coming to a full stop. The only thing I didn't do was put new grease on the slide pins (mostly because I didn't have any grease). Has anyone found the cause of this issue and resolved it? I am planning to take my car in to a mechanic next week to have it looked over.
 
Id definitely put some rubber-safe brake grease on those caliper pins. For some reason Mazda has the tendency to put very little grease on caliper pins from factory. This could happen even on a brand new CX-5!

Lube those caliper bolt pins!
 
Anchorman said:
This noise is known by brake engineers as "creep/groan" as it is often heard when creeping forward in traffic. I can tell you from 17 years in the brake development industry that it really doesn't matter and doesn't represent a safety issue. However, it can be a nuisance and vehicle manufacturers are painfully aware of it. The pads should give a smooth dynamic performance but some can stick then slip which gives that creaking sound. It cannot be fixed without changing pad material but as mooted above, you can reduce it by getting them hot (conditioning) but it will return with time. You might get some better results by trying some German pads like Textar, Pagid or Jurid which have far more abrasive inclusion and will keep gummy deposits from forming on the disc.
Click to expand...

Do you think it may possibly be a control arm creaking or something in the suspension?
 
MHoffmanPhoto said:
It could be, but why is this happening immediately after changing pads and rotors?
Click to expand...

then it certainly has something to do with the brakes.

It's something in the caliper making the sound. I would have a competent mechanic take apart all the brakes, lube the caliper pins, clean the brakes and carefully put everything back together.
 
brake noises

GJ-Molestor said:
then it certainly has something to do with the brakes.

It's something in the caliper making the sound. I would have a competent mechanic take apart all the brakes, lube the caliper pins, clean the brakes and carefully put everything back together.
Click to expand...

I am having the same problem with a 2017 3 hatchback. It has been to the dealer 4 times to fix the problem. It makes a groaning/creaking noise during low-speed braking (parking). Also when coming to a full stop at normal speeds. (stops, seems to make the sound when the car "rebounds" from a normal-effort full-stop) I thought at first it was suspension related, since it did sound like a suspension creak. Happens no matter what the weather is, or hot/cold brakes. Dealer tells me it is a brake noise. And it is "normal" for this car to make that noise. It started in a couple of months ago (23k miles now). I have never driven any car, owned, rental or otherwise that made such a noise. So I can't take this as "normal". It is really loud. Not a scraping sound (like rusty disks or worn pads). Also, if I am stopped in a parking lot, and I release the brakes really slowly, I can get this continuous noise, the vehicle not moving, this groan/creak/whine kind of noise, can get it to go on for 30 seconds with no motion of the vehicle (in gear). One of the dealer mechanics said it could be due to the "city braking" system/option that warns/applies brakes at low speed, pre-loads the calipers. But it shouldn't whine about it.

I think that this is some issue with the calipers. No brake work/replacements have been done, all original equipment under warranty.

Today, to "prove" to me that this is "normal", they put me into a 6 with 2k miles on it. And, yes, I could get it to make that noise also. Again, if this is what Mazda thinks is "normal" brake behavior, it doesn't say much for the brand. I would not expect this kind of issue with a vehicle that is less than 2 years old. None of my ancient Hondas ever made such a noise (first experience with Mazda). As far as I can tell, they have taken no action to attempt to remedy the situation, they just "diagnose" it and do nothing except tell me that it is a noise to be expected.

Any ideas of the real cause of this issue? thanks!
 
craigo said:
For me, the noise appeared when backing and turning from a relatively steep approach angle at moderate speed (my driveway and others like it, mostly). Every now and then I would hear it accelerating from a stop as the weight shifted. The dealer did the investigating and determined it was the control arm bushing. Apparently Mazda redesigned it and changed the material within the last year or so.

If you hear a creak on level ground without any movement, perhaps it is a sticky something in the caliper.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU! i have the same problem. will check mine. i love you no homo
 
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