New to the site, so sorry if this ends up being a post with inadequate details and/or information.

I have a 2006 F150 XLT Supercrew (5.4L V8 Gas) with 135XXX miles.

This morning, I'm driving, brake, and the truck begins to sputter or walk as I brake. And it's not soft. It's a pretty rough movement. With gentle pressure applied, I can hear the brakes grinding. The rotors aren't warped and the pads are literally brand new.

Has anyone had any issues like this? My buddy who's pretty good with this stuff said he thinks it's going to be an expensive fix.

Any ideas on what it may be and what fixes there are?

 

Does it feel like the ABS is kicking in? Is the ABS light on?

I would pull the wheels and inspect the calipers and rotors for correct installation and no loose/missing parts.

 

Nope. Not ABS. Which is what I thought initially, the first time it happened. Sort of feels like a slower, much more intense, rougher ABS though. I changed the front pads last weekend, so I know it's not the pads and that the calipers are fine. Kept the same rotors on there, but they seemed to look fine.

Can rotors be warped even if they look flat to the naked eye?

 

Definitely. You didn't resurface them when you put new pads in?

You need to check your work. From what I understand, it's possible to reverse the pads. Did you lube the sliders? All bolts tight?

 

Nope. Pretty much just switched the front pads out. You think a problem that seems this severe could have such a simple solution?

 

I would inspect as well, and make sure parts are good and lubed correctly.
just a thought maybe the E-brake is held up to

 

Took it to a shop for a free brake inspection, and one of the caliper bolts on the front driver's side came loose. It was causing the wheel to lock up.

They also told me my lower ball joints and passenger side inner tie rod were worn and needed to be replaced soon.

Any idea about the difficulty of repairing that yourself or the cost for a shop to repair it?

Thanks for your patience, I'm a novice when it comes to this stuff.

 

The ball-joints aren't that tough to change if you have any mechanical aptitude. There are write-ups here and videos online to help aid in how they're done.

If you're gonna replace them, you need to go ahead and do both sides at the same time. I would highly recommend going ahead and doing the uppers while you're in there as well. Most the consensus here and elsewhere recommend going with Moog parts because the are serviceable unlike OE parts.

I don't have a clue how much a shop would charge. If you don't wanna tackle the job yourself, call around to some local shops for quotes.