Sponsored

Anyone else have a single wheel that generates WAY more brake dust than the other 3?

JCERRN

Well-known member
First Name
J
Joined
May 3, 2021
Threads
35
Messages
1,282
Reaction score
1,459
Location
Around
Vehicles
Yeah
Country flag
My rear left wheel has been generally producing significantly more brake dust than the other 3 wheels. I noticed it after about 3 months of ownership.

i had previously seen threads of people saying their awd rear wheels in general collect a ton of reddish/brown brake dust and that was “normal” but in my case, it seems to just be the rear left..

the first time i brought it in for service (for this issue) the service advisor said the tech found a “partially seized caliper” and that it would be replaced, but when i picked up the truck, the service ticket said they performed caliper cleaning/lubrication and the issue was resolved because there was “no noise”…

needless to say, i cleaned the wheels, and noticed it again after only a few days.

I went into service mode and tried the burnishing procedure in case it was contamination or rust, but no luck.

i brought it back again, and they performed the same “cleaning and lubrication” procedure and declared the problem solved.

i am bringing it back for a 3rd time for the same issue next week, and this time the service fix says “perform brake pad burnishing”, and “caliper cleaning and lubrication” to an estimated price of $418.

i mean, im not a mechanic, but im also not an idiot… if cleaning and lubricating twice and already burnishing the brakes didnt resolve the issue, why would doing it a 3rd time fix it? At what point do you just say “maybe we were right the first time and you've got a sticky caliper and it just needs to be replaced? The vehicle barely has over 10k miles on it…

anyone else experience anything similar? What was the outcome?
Sponsored

 

scjmc

Active member
First Name
Steven
Joined
Apr 9, 2026
Threads
1
Messages
35
Reaction score
59
Location
Key West
Vehicles
2026 CT Premium, 2015 Audi A5 vert
Occupation
IT Specialist
Country flag
I have the same issue with the driver's side rear wheel. I did extensive searching online and have not found a single case of someone having work done by Tesla that resolved the issue.
 

TyPope

Well-known member
First Name
Ty
Joined
Mar 31, 2020
Threads
33
Messages
3,244
Reaction score
4,976
Location
Chesapeake Beach, MD
Vehicles
'23 MYLR, FS Cyberbeast 280xx
Occupation
Current Operations for... an organization
Country flag
My rear left wheel has been generally producing significantly more brake dust than the other 3 wheels. I noticed it after about 3 months of ownership.

i had previously seen threads of people saying their awd rear wheels in general collect a ton of reddish/brown brake dust and that was “normal” but in my case, it seems to just be the rear left..

the first time i brought it in for service (for this issue) the service advisor said the tech found a “partially seized caliper” and that it would be replaced, but when i picked up the truck, the service ticket said they performed caliper cleaning/lubrication and the issue was resolved because there was “no noise”…

needless to say, i cleaned the wheels, and noticed it again after only a few days.

I went into service mode and tried the burnishing procedure in case it was contamination or rust, but no luck.

i brought it back again, and they performed the same “cleaning and lubrication” procedure and declared the problem solved.

i am bringing it back for a 3rd time for the same issue next week, and this time the service fix says “perform brake pad burnishing”, and “caliper cleaning and lubrication” to an estimated price of $418.

i mean, im not a mechanic, but im also not an idiot… if cleaning and lubricating twice and already burnishing the brakes didnt resolve the issue, why would doing it a 3rd time fix it? At what point do you just say “maybe we were right the first time and you've got a sticky caliper and it just needs to be replaced? The vehicle barely has over 10k miles on it…

anyone else experience anything similar? What was the outcome?
Mine does the same thing. Same tire even.
 

TyPope

Well-known member
First Name
Ty
Joined
Mar 31, 2020
Threads
33
Messages
3,244
Reaction score
4,976
Location
Chesapeake Beach, MD
Vehicles
'23 MYLR, FS Cyberbeast 280xx
Occupation
Current Operations for... an organization
Country flag
My solution would be to rotate the tires and just keep them all evenly brake dusted... LOL

I was wondering if maybe the parking brake was biased to that one wheel which would put more "action" to that piston caliper and brake pad than the others.

You should be able to check the wear of the brake pads and see if there's a noticeable difference in them. That'll tell you if one is sticky. It'll be very obvious. I didn't notice a difference in mine so I just assume it's from the parking brake and the dissimilar metals being against each other in the rain while parked just makes it rust more than the others which would, in the end, produce more brake dust.
 

webspeedracer

Well-known member
First Name
Jason
Joined
Dec 17, 2023
Threads
1
Messages
213
Reaction score
246
Location
SLC, UT
Vehicles
FS Cybertruck AWD, Rivian R1s MaxPack, 2016 MS75D
Country flag
My rear left wheel has been generally producing significantly more brake dust than the other 3 wheels. I noticed it after about 3 months of ownership.

i had previously seen threads of people saying their awd rear wheels in general collect a ton of reddish/brown brake dust and that was “normal” but in my case, it seems to just be the rear left..

the first time i brought it in for service (for this issue) the service advisor said the tech found a “partially seized caliper” and that it would be replaced, but when i picked up the truck, the service ticket said they performed caliper cleaning/lubrication and the issue was resolved because there was “no noise”…

needless to say, i cleaned the wheels, and noticed it again after only a few days.

I went into service mode and tried the burnishing procedure in case it was contamination or rust, but no luck.

i brought it back again, and they performed the same “cleaning and lubrication” procedure and declared the problem solved.

i am bringing it back for a 3rd time for the same issue next week, and this time the service fix says “perform brake pad burnishing”, and “caliper cleaning and lubrication” to an estimated price of $418.

i mean, im not a mechanic, but im also not an idiot… if cleaning and lubricating twice and already burnishing the brakes didnt resolve the issue, why would doing it a 3rd time fix it? At what point do you just say “maybe we were right the first time and you've got a sticky caliper and it just needs to be replaced? The vehicle barely has over 10k miles on it…

anyone else experience anything similar? What was the outcome?
I noticed same and tried to have TeslaSC fix it before I went out of warranty. They said normal behavior (and my SC has been excellent), but I think they missed the target on this one.
My hunch has been that FSD drags the brakes a bit, whereas I rarely touch the brakes when I drive, all one-pedal to stop. I notice more brake dust the more I use FSD. But it’s odd that it’s only rear.
For comparison I drove my Model s ~95,000 miles before needing brakes.
 


Johoo

New member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Nov 2, 2024
Threads
0
Messages
4
Reaction score
1
Location
18018
Vehicles
Cybertruck
Country flag
I have the same issue with the driver's side rear wheel. I did extensive searching online and have not found a single case of someone having work done by Tesla that resolved the issue.
Same thing Same tire
 

scjmc

Active member
First Name
Steven
Joined
Apr 9, 2026
Threads
1
Messages
35
Reaction score
59
Location
Key West
Vehicles
2026 CT Premium, 2015 Audi A5 vert
Occupation
IT Specialist
Country flag
I have checked the temps by feeling the calipers by hand after driving 30 miles. Non-scientific I know, no noticeable difference in heat between the two rear calipers.
 
OP
OP
JCERRN

JCERRN

Well-known member
First Name
J
Joined
May 3, 2021
Threads
35
Messages
1,282
Reaction score
1,459
Location
Around
Vehicles
Yeah
Country flag
So strange that others are having the same issue with the same wheel…
 
 








Top