brakes make a groan/croak whenever I let go of them

Rust will cause noise

 

Does it sound like it's coming from the wheels (or some of them)? Or from behind the firewall where the brake pedal is?

If from the wheels, probably a bit of light rust down there. May go away on its own with use, or respond well to a simple inspection and some sandpaper in more refractory cases.

If from the pedal area, it may be what others sometimes call the grunt, bark, or honk. For 2010s and early 2011s there was a firmware update for that. A 2015 probably has the updated firmware already. Next move if it's honking can be to give the actuator air bleed procedure a try.

 

yes, that would help. sounds more like the pedal area to me.

 

try cleaning the rotors by getting up to 30 mph or so on a quiet road. throw it in neutral, and gently apply the brakes. see if the noise goes away or changes, repeat as necessary. rust usually comes off pretty quick, mine is gone by the time i back out of my garage into the street, but i do it every day.

 

you might need moderator approval, i asked for help

 

I can't remember when I've had brakes that didn't groan when I let them off a little slowly.

I've heard of people doing it. I don't do it, but I don't live in the salt kingdom.

 

I do it whenever I notice brake noise. No noise, I don't do it. It's such second nature by now I hardly even notice myself doing it when I do it. It usually ends up being after the car's been parked overnight in a long soft rain. Pretty much guaranteed embarrassing brake noises in the morning.

 

as needed