The Titan is Nissan’s full-size pickup. The Titan has had no major brake problems or recalls, and the brakes are fairly easy to service. Nissan had a few teething problems with brake judder on 2004-‘06 models, but this was corrected with better brake formulations and training at the dealerships.
Front Brakes
The front brakes on the Titan use dual piston floating calipers. Most noise and wear issues can be attributed to the guide pins not being serviced during a previous brake job. The next noise area is the abutment clips and slides, which should be replaced every brake job.
Nissan used a ceramic formulation for the front brakes. During the first few years of production, brake judder problems were reported. The new pad formulations and technician education on the use of an on-the-car lathe solved the problem at the dealership.
Rear Brakes
The rear brakes on the Titan are discs with single piston floating calipers. The caliper slides are located on the axle. The pads have an anti-rattle clip that needs to be positioned on the top edge of the pad so it makes contact with the body of the top slide.
Parking/Emergency Brake
The parking brake uses two shoes. A common failure involves the friction material delaminating from the shoes and taking out the hardware in the drum. Another common failure on higher mileage Titans is the axle seals leaking and contaminating the shoes.
The first step in adjusting the emergency brake is to release cable tension at the pedal. The pedal has to be partially engaged at first to access the nut. Using a drum measuring gauge, the shoes should be adjusted to measure 0.6 mm smaller in diameter than the drum. After the drum is installed, adjust the pedal so it engages fully in three to four clicks.
Other Issues
Titans are sensitive to brake pedal free height in order for the emergency brake assist feature to work. The brake pedal sensor measures the distance and speed at which the pedal is depressed. The assist comes into play when the pedal is quickly depressed, and the assist mode disengages when the pedal is fully released. If the pedal has a low free height, the assist mode will not disengage, and the customer may notice a longer/lower pedal and, possibly, a clicking noise.
There is an adjustable linkage, and the measurements for the pedal height are taken from the center of the pedal pad to the bare floorboard. Procedures for measuring and adjusting the pedal are in the service information.