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

[Glamdring70]

Could be different size front and rears, which means totally different rotors, calipers and pads. I haven't actually looked to see if they are or not.

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[Mark S.]

So kind of odd the rear brakes are causing shortness of braking given rear brakes do not do much of the braking.

The issue driving the recall only occurs if the power-assist system is not functioning, which means overall braking is much lighter than normal. With lighter braking less weight transfers to the front, so the rear brakes will be picking up a larger percentage of overall braking.

 

[fastlax16]

Lets see, take to dealer no loaner cars so someone has to pick you up drop you off, a lot of times incompetent mechanics fixing your car, might get scratch dent or stain in seat ect. Might have to take back again cause not fixed right ect ect ect. So anything I can fix myself I will fix. My plan is to avoid dealership monkeying with my vehicle if at all possible. My past experience with warranty work is complete incompetence and after several trips I fix it myself anyway.

Now how can you get recalled cleared if you fix yourself? Probably cant is my guess?

Are the rear brakes actually easy to do on these (can't imagine that many people have done brake jobs yet)? my experience with vehicles that have electric parking brakes (vws not fords) is that the rears are a giant pain in the ass. For the VWs you actually need VCDS (VW software suite), or similar aftermarket systems, in order to tell the brakes to release in order to do the pads. without the software you need to remove the brake motor.

 

[fastlax16]

Are the rear brakes actually easy to do on these (can't imagine that many people have done brake jobs yet)? my experience with vehicles that have electric parking brakes (vws not fords) is that the rears are a giant pain in the ass. For the VWs you actually need VCDS (VW software suite), or similar aftermarket systems, in order to tell the brakes to release in order to do the pads. without the software you need to remove the brake motor.

Answering my own question, looks like there’s a service mode if it’s anything like the f150. Still not as straight forward tho.
https://www.f150forum.com/f12/parking-brake-malfunction-brake-job-gone-wrong-443749/

 

[John Comer]

Correct as you brake weight shifts to the front and weight is taken off the rear. So vehicles are engineered to use the front brakes to do the majority of the stopping to prevent rear wheel lock ups. So kind of odd the rear brakes are causing shortness of braking given rear brakes do not do much of the braking.

I agree with all your tech suff, but if it is the same manufacture for front and rear pads then I would think if they made bad rear ones I would not want same on front.

 

[MaxVelocity]

I agree with all your tech suff, but if it is the same manufacture for front and rear pads then I would think if they made bad rear ones I would not want same on front.

They have not identified a problem with the front pads, and you can't automatically make that assumption.

 

[Mark S.]

I agree with all your tech suff, but if it is the same manufacture for front and rear pads then I would think if they made bad rear ones I would not want same on front.

Keep in mind this recall isn't about normally functioning brakes. When the power-assist system is working the brakes on the car are actually better than most in its class (based on independent testing by Car & Driver). It's only when the power-assist system fails that the car may not meet federal standards.

To recap, the car stops in about 125 ft from 60 mph with normal brakes. If the power-assist system fails the car will require closer to 600 ft. The federal standard is 551 ft. The difference in stopping distance between with and without power-assist isn't about the quality of the brake pads, it's about the loss of the power-assist system. Stopping distance increases similarly with ANY car that uses power-assisted brakes. But there is a federal standard that specified how much of a difference is allowable, and Bronco Sports with a certain type of rear brake pad didn't meet that standard.

TL;DR: There is currently no evidence of anything wrong with the front brakes.

 

[Mark S.]

For the VWs you actually need VCDS (VW software suite), or similar aftermarket systems, in order to tell the brakes to release in order to do the pads. without the software you need to remove the brake motor.

There is a procedure on page 175 of the owner's manual to disengage the parking brake without starting the vehicle.

EDIT: fastlax16 pointed out this is not sufficient for maintenance. There is a parking brake maintenance mode that must be activated before you can work on the rear brakes. I've posted the procedure here.

 

[fastlax16]

There is a procedure on page 175 of the owner's manual to disengage the parking brake without starting the vehicle.

You need them to be more than just disengaged like you’re going for a drive in order to remove the calipers, otherwise you could just put the car in park, not engage the parking brake and do the job.

That procedure is more for a situation where your battery is dead and you need to push the car.

 

[fourthgear]

To avoid any issues with replacing the Brake Pads ,how about just letting the Dealer do it under the recall & let them worry about how to do it correctly . Won't cost a thing & no worries .

 

[Mark S.]

You need them to be more than just disengaged like you’re going for a drive in order to remove the calipers, otherwise you could just put the car in park, not engage the parking brake and do the job.

You are correct! I did some research and found the procedure to set the parking brake system in and out of maintenance mode. It's posted in the Maintenance and Service forum.

 

[Mark S.]

To avoid any issues with replacing the Brake Pads ,how about just letting the Dealer do it under the recall & let them worry about how to do it correctly . Won't cost a thing & no worries .

This is my plan as well. But I also like to do my own maintenance on consumables (fluids, brakes, tires, etc.) whenever possible. The Bronco Sport doesn't have a low range gear for off-road hill descents, which means you will have rely solely on the brakes to prevent going too fast. I expect to replace brakes a bit more often on this car than I normally would.

 

[fourthgear]

This is my plan as well. But I also like to do my own maintenance on consumables (fluids, brakes, tires, etc.) whenever possible. The Bronco Sport doesn't have a low range gear for off-road hill descents, which means you will have rely solely on the brakes to prevent going too fast. I expect to replace brakes a bit more often on this car than I normally would.

I think you will have to do a lot of down hill braking to wear out the Brake pads prematurely . They like all other serviceable components , have a service life & need maintenance at some point . I don't think they will wear out as fast as you believe .

I have no problem with anyone doing their own maintenance service , I also do my own, the issue here is its a recall & we have no idea what the upgrade will include , just changing the Pads may or may not be the only service that is required . Nor do we know what BS's are effected , you may not be alleviating the braking issue , by just changing the Pads or your BS may not be effected , we just don't know .

 

[kcomeaux87]

Has anyone seen this recall on their BS's ETIS report yet?

 

[Mark S.]

I think you will have to do a lot of down hill braking to wear out the Brake pads prematurely . They like all other serviceable components , have a service life & need maintenance at some point . I don't think they will wear out as fast as you believe .

I didn't mean to imply the brakes will wear out prematurely, just sooner than otherwise if used frequently off road.

I have no problem with anyone doing their own maintenance service , I also do my own, the issue here is its a recall & we have no idea what the upgrade will include , just changing the Pads may or may not be the only service that is required . Nor do we know what BS's are effected , you may not be alleviating the braking issue , by just changing the Pads or your BS may not be effected , we just don't know .

Agreed, which is why I plan to let Ford deal with any maintenance required by this recall. For ANY recall for that matter. Cheers!

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