Ford Recalling Bronco Sports and Escapes Due to Defective Rear Brake Pads

[Whitenight]

Yeah, that was a little directed, heh. I'm just at the point where I am getting that stuff ready and I have a mix of light strings going back probably 50 years. Anything I have bulbs for or can get bulbs for is still in service. But I have LED strands that are like 5 years old where half are not lighting because either an LED failed, or the the resistor/rectifier pack failed. Even brand name stuff like GE. I can't get parts or fix them so they're just landfill. Heck, GE doesn't even make light bulbs anymore. That was bought out by a LED bulb maker owned by foreign private equity. Like you said, chips, chips, chips and all the various chips get made in all the same familiar places.

But I like my chips - especially Ruffles.

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[Orin]

This may be a dumb question but I checked my VIN on the NHTSA and KellyBlueBook site and it says I have "0 Recalls" on my vehicle. I bought my brand new Bronco Sport Badlands 3 weeks ago so I was sure I was part of the recall. Is my car not recalled and how up to date are these websites?

 

[Whitenight]

This may be a dumb question but I checked my VIN on the NHTSA and KellyBlueBook site and it says I have "0 Recalls" on my vehicle. I bought my brand new Bronco Sport Badlands 3 weeks ago so I was sure I was part of the recall. Is my car not recalled and how up to date are these websites?

As of right now, none of the affected vehicles will show up on the NHTSA website. I checked with Ford and they are still working on getting the list together of which actual VIN numbers are affected and currently only have the date range that is involved. They said that once they have the actual number of vehicles and their VIN numbers they will provide that information to the NHTSA and then it will be posted.

 

[Suckydog]

All I have to say is screw the mechanic at the dealership that said he couldn’t get it to make the same noise. When I picked it back up it made the same noise as soon as I put it in reverse.

 

[69cuda340s]

All I have to say is screw the mechanic at the dealership that said he couldn’t get it to make the same noise. When I picked it back up it made the same noise as soon as I put it in reverse.

Typical Ford warranty repair experience for most of the dealers out there...

 

[Mark S.]

Do you want to be driving around knowing that your BS may or may not stop when you want it to - especially in an instant where you might need it to to avoid a collision.

May I ask where you got your data suggesting any danger? From everything I've read it has to do with brake performance in the event of an engine failure when the power-assist system would be inop. How often will the engine quit while you're driving?

From the linked article:

In order to meet federal regulations, a vehicle like the Escape or Bronco must be able to stop within 551 feet from a speed of 60 mph if its power brakes have failed. This is already a multiple of the distance for a vehicle with working power brakes, as our tests showed that a Bronco Sport in good working order should take just 126 feet to stop from 60 mph. If a vehicle’s power brakes fail, the driver will likely notice that the pedal feels different and that the car requires significantly more effort to stop.

Ford’s internal tests of a Bronco Sport in 2018 showed that its SUV met the regulatory requirement, but when NHTSA tested the same vehicle as part of a compliance audit in November 2021, the agency found that it took 583 feet to stop with the power brakes inoperative—32 more feet than regulations allow. Ford’s own internal investigation found that Escape SUVs may also be affected.

In other words, there's no issue with the brakes when the power-assist system is functioning. In fact, Car & Driver tested the Bronco Sport's brakes and was able to stop in 163 ft from 70 mph, a performance that beat all other contenders except for the Escape in a compact crossover comparison test. It's only when the power-assist system isn't functioning that the Bronco Sport didn't meet federal standards. To put the issue in perspective, an increase in stopping distance following a failure of the power-assist system is expected in ALL vehicles that use power-assisted brakes--that's why the NHTSA has a standard to test performance in such an event. Yes, the Bronco Sport failed to meet the standard, but only by 32 ft.

It seems to me that if your engine quits at the same time you need a maximum-effort, emergency stop the 32 additional ft required by the Bronco Sport above the federal standard will be the least of your concerns. Am I suggesting there's no need for a recall? No, I'm not. I'm saying I believe the risk in driving your car until Ford comes up with a fix is all but non-existent.

My assumption is Ford will recall affected vehicles and change to brake pads with more bite than the current ones. That should bring the unassisted stopping distance back into compliance without changing pedal feel or assisted performance much at all.

 

[Whitenight]

May I ask where you got your data suggesting any danger?

Yes, the Bronco Sport failed to meet the standard, but only by 32 ft.

It seems to me that if your engine quits at the same time you need a maximum-effort, emergency stop the 32 additional ft required by the Bronco Sport above the federal standard will be the least of your concerns.

Yes it is your opinion. It is also my opinion that even failing by 1 foot is ONE FOOT TO MANY. Since the brakes failed to perform as designed then that alone, no matter what other circumstances are involved, means that those defective components could put anyone in a dangerous situation. As far as the engine quitting - well that is the concern of yet another recall involving the FDM module.

 

[fourthgear]

Yes it is your opinion. It is also my opinion that even failing by 1 foot is ONE FOOT TO MANY. Since the brakes failed to perform as designed then that alone, no matter what other circumstances are involved, means that those defective components could put anyone in a dangerous situation. As far as the engine quitting - well that is the concern of yet another recall involving the FDM module.

Makes me wonder how we ever survived with Drum brakes .

 

[fourthgear]

Typical Ford warranty repair experience for most of the dealers out there...

That may be your experience , then why did you purchase a Ford ? Or should I say another one ?

 

[Greensweater]

May I ask where you got your data suggesting any danger? From everything I've read it has to do with brake performance in the event of an engine failure when the power-assist system would be inop. How often will the engine quit while you're driving?

From the linked article:



In other words, there's no issue with the brakes when the power-assist system is functioning. In fact, Car & Driver tested the Bronco Sport's brakes and was able to stop in 163 ft from 70 mph, a performance that beat all other contenders except for the Escape in a compact crossover comparison test. It's only when the power-assist system isn't functioning that the Bronco Sport didn't meet federal standards. To put the issue in perspective, an increase in stopping distance following a failure of the power-assist system is expected in ALL vehicles that use power-assisted brakes--that's why the NHTSA has a standard to test performance in such an event. Yes, the Bronco Sport failed to meet the standard, but only by 32 ft.

It seems to me that if your engine quits at the same time you need a maximum-effort, emergency stop the 32 additional ft required by the Bronco Sport above the federal standard will be the least of your concerns. Am I suggesting there's no need for a recall? No, I'm not. I'm saying I believe the risk in driving your car until Ford comes up with a fix is all but non-existent.

My assumption is Ford will recall affected vehicles and change to brake pads with more bite than the current ones. That should bring the unassisted stopping distance back into compliance without changing pedal feel or assisted performance much at all.

This was helpful. Thank you.

My brakes also squeak in the morning when backing out of my drive way. Do you think it's an issue related to the the recall?

 

[Whitenight]

Makes me wonder how we ever survived with Drum brakes .

Actually, they are still being used on vehicles still be produced today - the Ford Fiesta being one of them. While Ford stopped selling them is the US after the 2018MY, they are still being sold in Europe. My son owns a 2014 Fiesta and I have no problems doing the front disc brakes, but the rear drum brakes are a whole other matter. Pulled the drum and took a look at what had to be done. I immediately put the drum back on and took the car and my new pads to my mechanic. He told when I picked up the car later that day that it wasn't a quick and easy job like the discs.

 

[fourthgear]

Well if you ever drove anything with Drum Brakes all the way around , even with top of the line Pads , it would not make the NHTSA rule , thats for sure , but they did stop the vehicle .

 

[Whitenight]

Well if you ever drove anything with Drum Brakes all the way around , even with top of the line Pads , it would not make the NHTSA rule , thats for sure , but they did stop the vehicle .

My last vehicle that had all drum brakes was a 1962 Chevy Impala with a 283 V8 engine and Power Brakes and Power Steering. Thing was built like a tank.

 

[GoatsyBanks]

In my old jeep the required pedal pressure and stopping distance was different every time.
Kept things interesting!

 

[Mark S.]

This was helpful. Thank you.

You're welcome!

My brakes also squeak in the morning when backing out of my drive way. Do you think it's an issue related to the the recall?

My gut says no, but I could be wrong. We really won't know until Ford supplies details about how it will rectify the issue.

In my experience, squeaky pads with new brakes poses no danger to how the brakes function. As many have noted, the squeak occurs with light or no pedal pressure. If you step hard on the pedal the squeak goes away. Here's why: The squeak is really a high-frequency vibration; the brake pad is rubbing on the disk as the disk turns and the rubbing causes a vibration, the same way rubbing the bow across the strings on a violin causes the strings to vibrate and make noise. When you step hard on the brakes you pinch the brake pad between the caliper piston and the disk, which limits how much the pad can vibrate. This provides a clue on how to prevent the squeaking when you're not pushing hard on the brake pedal. You can install a shim made from rubber or plastic and/or apply a special kind of grease between the brake pad and piston. The shim and/or grease serves as a damper, which works the same way as putting your finger a tuning fork; it kills the vibration.

The main reason I don't think the squeaking is related to the recall is because I've never heard of squeaky brakes (on new brakes) being a safety issue--it's just annoying as hell. And I don't see how the issue that causes squeaky brakes can result in reduced brake performance. But as I said, I could be wrong. I'm basing all of this on what I know about brakes, and obviously I don't know everything.

The good news is if Ford's fix does indeed include replacing the brake pads it will likely fix the squeaking issue as well, assuming they use a shim and/or the appropriate anti-squeak grease on the new pads.

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