Brake Disc Rotor Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal failed to function properly, and the contact had to depress the brake pedal with added force to stop the vehicle. The contact also stated there was an abnormal sound while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear brake pads and rotors had failed, and the braking system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA hotline for additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

See all problems of the 2019 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, there was an abnormal scraping noise coming from the rear driver's side tire. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal, and the pedal went to the floorboard. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped and inspected the vehicle and became aware that the rear passenger’s side brake pad had separated from the caliper. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact went to an auto parts store and purchased new pads, rotors, and calipers and replaced rear brakes. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. While driving 25 mph, the speedometer and turn signals failed to operate. The dealer replaced the computer and the turn signal cluster. In addition, the brake calipers and rotors failed due to insufficient lubrication. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 19,000.

See all problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the two rear rotors rusted two inches from the top. The rear rotors, rear brakes, and parking brake disintegrated due to the corrosion from the rotors. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the corrosion; however, all the components were replaced. The failure mileage was 18,000 and current mileage was 19,000. Updated 03/14/08.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer 🔎.

New vehicle purchase in orlando, FL on 09-07-07. Took to local Ford dealer in memphis, TN on 09-10-07 with issue of vehicle pulling and steering wheel vibration when braking, (1300 miles on vehicle). Ford said the rotors were glazed and warped, (Ford service employees unable to explain how or why this occurred with only 1300 mile on vehicle). Ford resurfaced rotors,(Ford stated they are only required to resurface rotors, not replace them under warranty). Ford did not replace brake pads or do any other brake job associated repair/replacement. Rotors were resurfaced with over half usable brake surface removed. I explained to Ford that with so much brake surface gone the next time the rotors are serviced, the rotors will most certainly need to be replaced at owners expense. (this repair has eliminated the first resurfacing option for the consumer).

See all problems of the 2007 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Failure of front brake rotors due to excessive warping and corrosion. This resulted in poor braking and increased stopping distances. Poor quality oem front brake rotors were factory installed on this vehicle. Proper high quality aftermarket front brake rotors were installed. This resulted in excellent braking!.

See all problems of the 1998 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer 39,000 all 4 brake rotors rusted to the point they couldn't be cut and were literally eaten away .

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer XLT v6 4wd 46,000 miles. Experienced vibration in brake pedal and noticed increase stopping distance. Investigation revealed excessive rusting of both front and rear brake rotors. Brake pads worn unevenly. Replacement of front and rear rotors and pads was required. Original rotors are available.

: the contact stated when the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for state inspection, the technician determined all four rotors were corroded and flaked off when touched. There is corrosion on the entire underside of the vehicle. The technician stated it looks as though the entire vehicle was submerged in saltwater. The dealership and manufacturer have not been contacted.

On June 29, 2005, during annual state inspection my 2002 Explorer had to have new rear brake rotors installed for the 2nd time due to rust. Mileage was 24,713 miles. Purchased vehicle new on March 29, 2002. August 14, 2003, approximately 10,250 miles, had to replace the rear rotors due to rusting. Ford dealership recommended the brake linings be replaced as well. Ford covered this complete cost. In this 2nd instance, Ford will cover nothing since vehicle is beyond its 36 month warranty, & brakes are considered wear items. I believe this is a safety issue, as the rusting of the rear rotors prevented my vehicle from passing the state safety inspection. Additionally, this is my 3rd Explorer, all purchased new, & the only one having this problem. Initial 1991 Explorer driven 9 years & over 70,000 miles; 2nd Explorer a 2000 model still driving, over 54,000 miles, had the rear rotors & brake pads replaced after 44 months, 33,692 miles. Have lived in the same area & driven the same roads with all 3 vehicles. Have had essentially all service work done by the selling Ford dealer in all 3 instances. If the brake pads were wearing out, & the rotors were being damaged due to the worn pads, I could understand how this condition was due to my negligence in not attending to the braking system. However, the brake pads have not been worn out in either replacement situation. The service adviser & service manager both claim there is nothing they can do, as the rotors cannot be turned, rust is a common problem with brake rotors, and Ford regards brake rotors as wear components. Correspondence thru Ford's internet site repeated rotors are considered a wear item & cannot be covered, regardless of the reason for replacement. No one will provide any Ford regional contact information for discussion. It appears to be a no win situation where the manufacturer can classify a component as a wear item & have no consequences when the component fails for other non-wear reasons.

After only 300 miles on the odometer---discovered the 2 front rotors were warped and the car shook when braking. We asked that they be replaced. Ford area rep would not allow it. . . The dealer, instead, "turned" the rotors by taking off 50% of surface. Ford said this still met their spec for warranty repair. We believe it is unfair!!.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The right front wheel was hot to the touch. All four rotors where replaced.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Brake rotors warped and required replacement 2 months after brake service which included machining rotors in (4-24-04). Follow up service (8-16-04) for problem found warped rotors on left side, in which Ford dealer service charged for replacement. (10-15-04) right side rotor now exhibiting same defect.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Front and rear brake rotors replaced at 23,000(front) and 37,000(rear) miles .

2002 Ford Explorer experiencing problems with bad rotors. The brakes made a popping noise. The abs had come on and gone off.

On 7-26-04 rear brakes and rotors were changed on 2002 Ford Explorer with 8,742 miles. Dealer said this was due to corrosion caused by where I live. Rotors were badly scored.

I had the oil changed on the Explorer and they told me I would need to get the brake pads replaced very soon. I intended to get a couple quotes for this job but we had a death in the family so I took the Explorer back to lapeer Ford to have the brakes serviced. They called and said that the rotors had deteriorated to the point that they could not turn them down. I ask how they deteriorated and they said the rotors had rusted. I gave permission to replace the rotors at a price of $400. I also indicated I would like for them to talk to Ford about the deterioration. I also called Ford. Ford gave me an answer that the dealer said that the replacement of the rotors was normal maintenances and lapeer Ford gave me an answer that Ford said the replacement of the rotors was normal maintenances. The Explorer had 41000 miles and I had the vehicle for two years. The rotors had rusted to the point that I had only about 50% of the surface contacting the brake pads. This rough surface also caused the brake pads to deteriorate faster. I ask for the rotors to be replace free and was refused. I also ask the a receive a partial rebate for the pads because they had deteriorated faster because of the rust on the rotors. They refused as normal maintenances. I feel the rotors should not rust to this point and also caused a safety factor because only 50% of the braking surface remained. I have the rotors and pads that were replaced.

- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While driving at 60 mph the contact felt the brake pedal shutter when the brake was depressed. Also, the contact felt the steering wheel vibrate. The dealer stated that the problem was due to the rotors. The dealer resurfaced the rotors at 12,000 miles. Approximately eleven months later the contact experienced the same problem. The dealer stated the rotors needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the rotors at 24,000 miles. Two months later ,the dealer replaced the rotors again, and the rotor assembly at 26,000 miles. Four months later the contact had the same problem. The dealer resurfaced the front and rear rotors at 30,000 miles. There have been no further occurrences. The vehicle currently has 36000 miles.

Both front rotors had severe rust/corrosion on the inner surface. Vehicle has 56,000 miles on it and was due for the first pad replacement. Rotors required replacement due to the depth of rust damage. Rust was not visible on the outside surface. I was not aware of the situation or the change in braking distances until the new rotors were installed. The new braking conditions is noticably improved. I have possession of both rotors and pads that were replaced. Repair was performed at a local Ford dealership. This vehicle has been continually driven and the rust/corrosion is not typical buildup from a lack of operation of the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Explorer 🔎.

While driving at any speed front end made noise . Dealer replaced the upper ball joints,and an independent shop replaced the rotors. But the noise was still occurring.

Consumer took vehicle in to the dealer for regular maintenance, and and dealer indicated rotors were warped. Consumer indicated that vehicle was no longer under warranty, so he had to pay for this. Vehicle only had 18,000 miles.

Consumer experiencing thumping noise while driving and loss of brake effectiveness. Vehicle checked by dealer, who advised that rotors were pitted (rusted from inside out). As rotor pitting got worse, it caused excessive wear. Damaged to brake pads. Consumer purchased an extended warranty but the dealer refused to replace the rotors as being defective. Consumer stated that the metal being used in the manufacturing process caused the rotors to rust.

Brake rotors are "falling apart" and rusting pretty bad. Seems unusuall that rotors should fail like this. I have never seen rotors rusting and metal falling off like this. This is far beyond normal wear and tear.

When stopping there is grinding noise. Drove to dealer, who stated that rotors were coming apart. Rotors crumble up in consumer's hand. Please provide any further information.

All 4 brake rotors need to be replaced. Dealer says that there is not enough material left on the rotor to be machined. Why is this happening at 35000 miles? these parts should have a much longer life than that. Seems that there must be a defect.

While vehicle was in for unrelated reapirs, the dealer replaced both front disc brake rotors even though the warranty had expired by approximately 1500 miles. The service manager stated that "both rotors were shot" and that shouldn't happen at 37,000 miles. I had a 1995 Explorer which did the same thing at approximately the same mileage. At that time, another dealer and Ford would not do anything about the repairs and I had to pay for them. This is the second Explorer I've had withn the same problem. It appears to me that there is a problem with Explorer brake rotors. It's my understanding that this has been a problem on windstar vans as well. Do you have any information concerning this problem? I can't find anything in the recalll listing about it.

Brake rotor vibration-have had rotors turned twice with first time listed above and second in July/2001 with approx 40000miles. Is this warping normal with this mileage? mostly driven on highway with some city miles. No other vehicle I've owned has required such frequent maintenance on the rotors.

Front brake rotors have completley worn out, and they stuck and will not release. All brake pads have worn out. The front brake rotors do not slide back and forth like it should.

Right rear rotor is completely scored and needs replacement after only 6mths and 19000 miles of highway driving. Manufaturer states this is normal wear. Does this mean I have to replace rotors every 6 months of driving?.

Very loud, intermittent, squealing from front end. Dealer first stated that the problem was the dust seals/boots, but according to other shop, there aren't any. Next they said it was the front brakes: they only had 5k miles of use left, and the rotors were too worn. I had new rotors and pads installed, but the squeal is still there. It occurs with brakes applied or not, with engine on or off(just rolling down a hill), but only when vehicle is moving. Does not change when turning. Reference other odi ids: 700845, 702219, 702959, 703052, 703270, 703848, 704071, 829016, 834307, 834481.

We had a problem with rusted rotors from day one with this vehicle. Instead of two different dealerships replacing these faulty rotors they would clean them or turn them. I recently had them replaced at my expense because they could not be of use any further. I contacted Ford with my concerns and was ignored. I fell that both dealerships knew these rotors were defective from the start and instead of replacing them like they should have they just cleaned them and sent me on my way. I am very dissatisfied with the way Ford handled this issue with my brakes.

Warped front brake rotors.

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Explorer 🔎.

When the consumer replaced the left rear brake rotor he noticed that the lining had come loose from the metal of the rear parking brake shoe and it was less than half worn, all four shoe linings were crazed but were not broken.

Code w2hl in February 2000 40 degrees out we were driving our Explorer and the driver's side rear tire peeled apart. About 12 inches came off and you could see the threads. We had the tire replaced at merchant's tire in fredericksburg, va. Now I see the recall. I believe these are bad tires, even though the code is not the decater plant. I have contacted firestone 6 times, Ford 8 times and get the same response. That they are safe. I replaced the tires at my own expense with michelins. I am keeping the firestone tires in hope of a wider recall. Through the behavoirs I have seen, firestone does not want to even discuss this with me. I have the tires seeled in plastic if you want to check over them. Any help would be appreciated. ( dot number: wp tire size: p23275r15 ).

Multiple failures including: defective tires, rotors and brakes crystallizing, "check engine light" illuminating, cross bars on the trunk, paint peeling and defective cruise control.