It's not uncommon for the front brake pads and rotors to wear out faster than the rears. This is because the front brakes do most of the work stopping the vehicle. As the brakes are applied, the weight distribution of the vehicle shifts foreword on the suspension putting more strain on the front brakes. This is why on most vehicles the front brakes are larger than the rears. It's also why most front brakes wear out about twice as fast as the rears. This is normal.
Worn out springs, shocks, or struts can allow the vehicle weight distribution to shift faster and more dramatically, overloading the front brakes. This can result in premature front brake wear.
Sticking caliper pistons, caliper slides, or a damaged parking brake can also cause premature brake wear. When this happens, the caliper cannot retract the pad properly when you let off the brakes and it remains in contact with the rotor. In situations like this, it's typical for the inboard pads next to the caliper piston to wear out very quickly while the outer pad is hardly worn at all. This will generate excessive dust, noise, and heat. It will also wear out the inner surface of the rotor quickly. The tell-tale sign is one wheel with excessive, heavy dusting and noise.
This is not a defect in the pad or the rotor; it's a failure of the caliper and or the related components such as the piston, slides, or the parking brake assembly.
Keep in mind: the pads don't move by themselves! The caliper is what forces the pads into the rotor surface and if the caliper sticks, it can't retract the pads properly which causes excessive pad wear.
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