Over the past two weeks I encountered a number of issues. The culprit were my front brakes, but the hard part was the diagnosis. I hope this PSA helps anyone who may be in a similar situation in the future.
How it started: while coasting (at practically any speed), I could hear a rotational noise. It was a mixture of squealing and grinding. Upon braking, I was also getting a (different) squealing. When braking to full stop slowly, I would hear and feel grinding. I was totally confused by the myriad of sounds (mostly squealing at different pitches plus grinding), and took my vehicle to the Ford dealer. I figured something was touching my rotors, but what was causing all that squealing? My brakes were practically brand new (front rotors were replaced at this dealer just the week before... and all was good originally).
They discovered a clip as part of the brake pad assembly touching the rotor (caused a groove, too). They 'adjusted' the clip and sent me home. I found that the noise was still very evident. I took it back and they said they could not adjust the clip again (it won't stay in place), so they will replace the brake pads and resurface the rotor. They clip does not come by itself, only as part of the brake pad set. They sent me home again once again, thinking that all had been resolved. Each time they claimed they had test drove the vehicle. I found that the squealing sound while coasting was gone, but when I hit the brakes I would still get the squealing. It was loud, obnoxious, and occurred at almost any speed. It was present during light and moderate braking. I could hear it even over highway noise. I took the vehicle back with my complaint. They asked me to just drive it and break the pads in. I drove it, a lot, and when the squealing still persisted, I took it back.
They didn't know what was wrong, as everything appeared normal. For a period of time, they suspected a bent caliper. Ultimately, they discovered that it was 'bad brake pad material'. They replaced the front pads and resurfaced the rotors again. The car is absolutely quiet now under braking. I don't care what some people say about the "aggressive brake pad material"... new brakes should not squeal, grind, or feel unsafe!!! Mine was all of the above.
I had two bad sets of brake pads in a row, and should show you that this is not uncommon! Please do not settle for some excuses that your dealers give you... "You have aggressive brake pads...", etc. Your new brakes should NOT be squealing or grinding at all! Since my original pads (which, as I mentioned, very recently replaced), and subsequently replacement pads were faulty, everything was covered under parts warranty. My brakes are perfectly quiet now - as they should be! If something is wrong with your vehicle, especially if it is under warranty, insist that they take care of the issue! Be persistent, but always polite. I am very happy to have my vehicle back. Hope this was helpful to someone.
How it started: while coasting (at practically any speed), I could hear a rotational noise. It was a mixture of squealing and grinding. Upon braking, I was also getting a (different) squealing. When braking to full stop slowly, I would hear and feel grinding. I was totally confused by the myriad of sounds (mostly squealing at different pitches plus grinding), and took my vehicle to the Ford dealer. I figured something was touching my rotors, but what was causing all that squealing? My brakes were practically brand new (front rotors were replaced at this dealer just the week before... and all was good originally).
They discovered a clip as part of the brake pad assembly touching the rotor (caused a groove, too). They 'adjusted' the clip and sent me home. I found that the noise was still very evident. I took it back and they said they could not adjust the clip again (it won't stay in place), so they will replace the brake pads and resurface the rotor. They clip does not come by itself, only as part of the brake pad set. They sent me home again once again, thinking that all had been resolved. Each time they claimed they had test drove the vehicle. I found that the squealing sound while coasting was gone, but when I hit the brakes I would still get the squealing. It was loud, obnoxious, and occurred at almost any speed. It was present during light and moderate braking. I could hear it even over highway noise. I took the vehicle back with my complaint. They asked me to just drive it and break the pads in. I drove it, a lot, and when the squealing still persisted, I took it back.
They didn't know what was wrong, as everything appeared normal. For a period of time, they suspected a bent caliper. Ultimately, they discovered that it was 'bad brake pad material'. They replaced the front pads and resurfaced the rotors again. The car is absolutely quiet now under braking. I don't care what some people say about the "aggressive brake pad material"... new brakes should not squeal, grind, or feel unsafe!!! Mine was all of the above.
I had two bad sets of brake pads in a row, and should show you that this is not uncommon! Please do not settle for some excuses that your dealers give you... "You have aggressive brake pads...", etc. Your new brakes should NOT be squealing or grinding at all! Since my original pads (which, as I mentioned, very recently replaced), and subsequently replacement pads were faulty, everything was covered under parts warranty. My brakes are perfectly quiet now - as they should be! If something is wrong with your vehicle, especially if it is under warranty, insist that they take care of the issue! Be persistent, but always polite. I am very happy to have my vehicle back. Hope this was helpful to someone.
Perhaps you're kinda imagining it, as we often do. Keep in mind if you bring your vehicle for any issue, they will have to replicate and acknowledge it. I had tons of videos/audio recorded to show them how severe (and annoying) my issue was. They were also able to replicate without any trouble at all.![[wink]](/images/smilies/wink.gif "Wink [wink]")
