And... We're back on the road. Long story short: one of the brake pads (or what was left of it) fell off the caliper and wedged between the wheel and the hub, accounting for the noise.... I lack a 12 point 20mm 1/2 inch drive socket to remove the caliper mounting and replace the rotors...

Update: I took the wheel off and started digging around.. Biggest thing that jumped out: The outside brake pad was gone- the caliper was dragging on the outside of the rotor.. (I thought I'd checked those a couple months ago but...) So, that was probably the big noisy part. However, a...

Yep- I hadn't noted any noise from the wheels prior to this- I'm usually pretty in tune with car noises so I think I would have heard.. So, I think the bearings are fine. Cheers.

I think it's just the drivers side (USA) that's rubbing- the other one shows no marks. I just jacked her up and tried to move the wheel side to side and top to bottom (traditional wheel bearing check I think?) No movement at all. Wheel spins freely. Thanks much for your comments.

Thanks- that helps me find the parts... any idea what condition would cause it to crash into the wheel (while it's still attached on both ends? I think this is an unusual problem...

Hi All- Wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction on this one- driving down the road today, and the brake pedal almost went to the floor all of the sudden. Then came back. Noticed a loud angry grinding noise from the front left. When I got it stopped, I got under it, and I...