I apologize for the seemingly long-winded thread, but if you're experiencing brake and rotor issues, I need your help.

I tool delivery of my '04 F150 SCrew on 9/22/03 and have been quite a happy F150 owner. With that said, I've had my truck in the Service Department no less than 6 times for brake and rotor related problems. These problems present themselves in the form of warped or "out of round" rotors, scored rotors, excessive brake noise with a severe steering wheel shimmy with quite a violent rear end vibration. This happens at any speed when applying the brakes.

Over the past several visits to the Service Department, they have:
1. Machined the rotors
2. Replaced the brake pads
3. Ordered new front rotors
4. Replaced the front rotors with an "updated" version
5. Machined the "new" rotors
6. Relined the brake pads
7. Re-machined the "new" rotors

On each of these "fixes", the problem goes away and returns a few thousand miles later. So, the Service Department had a Field Engineer from Ford come out to take a look at my truck and see if anything can be found. Of course, nothing was found and they basically said it's caused by towing or my driving habits. I find this reasoning to be nonsense and a cop-out to the problem. I know that this is not attributed to any towing because I haven't towed that often (only one time which came to about 600 miles round trip) and cannot be correlated to "driving habits" because none of my other vehicles, both Ford's, have experienced this issue.

Since I have about 26k miles on my truck, I wanted something done that would permanently correct the issue without recurrence. So, I opened a claim with the Dispute Settlement Board and have an Arbitration Hearing which is scheduled for 7/7/05. I'm going to gather all of my information and present them with all of the service records relating to this problem, along with any other information that may be pertanent and propose some suggestions for correction and see what happens.

So, the help I need from my fellow board-members is to send post in this thread explaining your problem and outlining the corrective action taken by Ford, if any. I would really appreciate any feedback regarding this problem.

 

I too have had the same problems. We purchased our truck in Feb. '04. It has been in the shop 5 times since then for brake and rotor issues. Twice at 9000, then 17000, and twice at 22000. Each time the rotors were out of round and turned. They finally replaced the rotors and pads at 22000. Now, at 24500, all is OK. (she says while knocking on wood) I agree this problem has been nothing short of a $35000 nightmare, yet I still love this truck! I wish all of us luck in getting Ford to do what it takes to correct this
widespread problem.
~Christa~

 

I have had the following work on my truck. Jan '04 it was purchased

3 - times to dealer - Rear Window Motor, Switch, New Glass
4 - Times to dealer - Brakes - Turned, New Pads, 'New rotors', Turned, now it is back in the shop, same dang thing!
2 - Times - AC will not cool - Did nothing both times but it worked better afterwards
1 - Time - Hesitation when taking off, reflashed - Gas Milage went to crap!, still have the hesitation, hunting surging when Idling
1 - Time - Water Leaking in the Cab - Replaced A/C Housing
3 - Times - Clunck in rear, lube and quite for about 200 miles, seems louder
4 - Times - High speed vibration - Tires Balanced at my expense, out of round tire????? WTF??
1 - Time - Leaking Front Strut
1 - Time - Radio will not play CD's

They now have 'flown' in a Ford rep to see if he can fix the vibration problem. So far they have replaced the rims and now they say the tires are the problem. My only problem is I absolutely love this stinking truck. I have had 4 F150's in the last 12 years, all were great trucks. What do you do? I will not buy any of the other big three or a forign. So Tuesday the rep comes and we see where we go from here.

 

how many of your other ford vehicles weigh nearly 6000 lbs.?

adjusting driving style really can take care of rotor warp issues.

 

good point, 1 of my vehicles is (was) a '95 Mustang and the other is an '02 Expedition, which is probably lighter, but not by very much.

Everyone's feedback is appreciated.

 

the expedition isn't much lighter, but its weight is more evenly distributed front to back, meaning the heavy front end and very light rear of your truck put a lot more strain on your front rotors.

Rotor warp happens when your rotors heat/cool unevenly. Basically, when you apply the brakes, the rotors are spinning between the pads. while they are spinning, the heat from the pads is being distributed over the area of the rotor. When you complete your stop, the hot pads stay on one spot of the rotor, and only heat that one area. this uneven heating is what warps rotors.

Slower stops obviously generate less heat, but even with abrupt stops, if you slowly 'creep' for a few feet before finally coming to a 'complete' stop, the rotors will better distribute the heat and minimize the warping effect.

I have never seen you drive, nor do I know just how defective your brakes are (I'm not saying there's nothing wrong them). But, even if you are getting the bad luck of the draw with bad rotors, some slight braking style changes can make even faulty rotors last longer. May make it a little less annoying for you until they get it taken care of properly.

Good luck.

 

i 100% agree with inbred when i see the light turn red i let off the gas i see people race past then slam on the brakes at the last moment i have friends that drive like that. you will have brake problems if you dont take care of them. im not saying u drive like that i just see a lot people driving like that save the brakes save your gas let off the gas earlier.

 

There is a problem with brake rotors. My 04 had three sets, my 05 has already had one replacement set.

There was a time when F-150's didn't seem to have so many problems.
I have been selling Ford products since 1985, and I have never ever seen so many issues. I don't understand it. I have over twenty 05 Superduties that I cannot drive or sell. It's a clip issue for the fuel lines. Ford calls it "demonstration and delivery hold". I had ten customers (2004's) with real lemon F-150's that either got a substituion of collateral, or a total buy back. The 05's are not that bad, however, mine has had the slip joint problem, and one set of rotors as well. Those seem to be the major issues for 05 from where I sit. In my opinion, its unexcuseable and embarassing. I get a new Ford every couple of years, and never had to use the factory warranty until I got my 2004 F-150. Disheartening to say the least.
Having said that, I still love my 2005 F-150 Lariat 4x4 Supercrew with every option except for the moonroof.
Cheers!

 

Has anyone been able to solve this problem with aftermarket rotors and brakes? If so, what brand resolves the issue?

In working the the Auto BBB and Ford, I've requested that I be given the opportunity to purchase aftermarket rotors and brakes then have Ford reimburse me for the expense. This would take them out of the equation and release them from warranty obligations regarding the brakes. However, they denied the request. So, I say "see ya at arbitration". So, now I'm gonna request a buy back, a vehicle swap with an '05 (if that's an option) or a total refund of the purchase price (if that's an option).

It just bums me out becasuse I really love my truck except for this unresolved issue. It's a great vehicle, otherwise.

I'll probably have to find another vehicle and given the state of issues with the current trucks, I'm gonna have a hard time finding something I want.

 

Sorry to hear about the problems your having. Have you considered just replacing the pads and rotors yourself? I know this is a perfect solution, but it could save you the hassle of going through a long drawn out arbitration. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

I have had all of the same problems with my 2004 Super Crew 4x4. They (the dealer) tell me that they are aware that a lot of trucks have problems with warped rotors and really noisy brakes...but also say that Ford doesn't know what to do about it and neither do they. Go figure.

 

Can you share what the outcome of arbitration was? I am going into an Arbitration hearing Monday morning, and this is one of my key issues as well.

Thanks!

 

And btw, if you prefer to keeo it private, please email me at

mikehuff AT earthlink.net

I will be glad to share what I know. We probably have the same Ford rep forcing it to go this far. My hearing is in colton.

 

Check out this article regarding "warped" rotors.

 

I read the article with a good deal of interest. I was about to suggest that my discs seem to have a build up of material. Here is what I noticed. I have an '05 F-150 Supercab with 3500 miles on it, and the pulsing was getting worse by the day, and I was getting more pissed by the day, because I haven't touched anything from the day it was delivered, and I'm NOT hard on brakes. It seemed like the less pressure I used for braking, the worse they pulsed. Yesterday, during a commute with the pulsing, I had to really lay into the brakes from about 70mph, down to a dead stop (Southern California Freeway). Then I noticed that the pulsing had diminished, so I panic stopped several times from high speed (Off the freeway!). Guess what....the pulsing is gone, and the brakes seem very smooth now. If the discs were warped, nothing would have changed. Seems like my OEM pads are leaving a deposit on the rotors that a few good hard stops, not only reduced, but for now is all but gone. I'm gonna' order a set of ceramic pads, and see if I notice any changes over time. A warp ain't gonna' go away, and my F-150 is definitely smoother today. Gummy Pads, Incompatibility?