Brake Disc Caliper problems of the 2001 Ford F-150

Truck starting pulling badly to right, loss of power, speed and smoke coming from the right front wheel. Rim, caliper were smoking , had to pour water on to wheel to keep from burning. After towed to service center was told this is a common problem with the Ford trucks that the slide pin on the caliper can seize and lock the brake in active position preventing it from releasing from the rotor causing the the extreme heat and burning the brake bad and seals in the caliper. I was lucky it didnt happen at 70 mph and lock the wheel causing me to lose control. I ve also looked at the reports on the internet and see where others have reported this in blog but now to safety commision.

While returning home, towing 25' pontoon boat, approaching driveway when brake pedal went to floor, no brakes. Fortunately I was able to maneuver the vehicle into my yard and stop with parking brake. Root cause was found to be brake line above driver's side rear wheel had rusted through at fitting causing loss of brake fluid. Upon close inspection, many brake lines, transmission cooling lines, gas tank straps (the latter subsequently replaced per Ford recall) are deteriorating due to excessive rust. Although this vehicle is 11 years old, it only has 58,867 original, documented miles, and has not been exposed to excess road salt (mid-atlantic region). I have had to replace brake rotors, calipers, brake shields, egr tube, exhaust system from muffler back, and parking brake assembly all due to excessive, and what I consider, premature rust. If that were not bad enough, yesterday I look under the truck and see a puddle of transmission fluid. One of the transmission cooling lines between the transmission and the upper radiator has rusted through, and once again I will be responsible for the repairs. I have owned many Ford products in my 44 years of driving but have never experienced anything of this magnitude with a vehicle of such low mileage. Brake lines rusting out should be considered a significant safety concern. If I had lost brakes while traveling on the highway towing a 3000 lb boat and trailer it could have been disastrous. I feel the gas tank strap recall is a start, but far from addressing the overall issue of undercarriage deterioration with this year/model vehicle.

2001 Ford f150 2wd, bottom bolt holding left front brake caliper to spindle assembly fell out. Scrubbing sound at braking initiated an investigation of problem and found lower fastener missing and upper fastener loose. The caliper had rotated and cast iron piston assembly was rubbing interior of aluminum wheel. Fortunately I was within three miles of home. Continuing travel had the potential to destroy the wheel and cause further damage or accident. The right side was investigated and both fasteners were in place. The Ford supplied capscrews (bolts) did not have serrated flanged head, did not have lockwashers, did not have thread locking liquid compound applied to threads. Local Ford dealer was closed on Saturday afternoon. All four fasteners were replaced by owner using flanged stainless steel capscrews of the correct thread and length using thread locking liquid compound. Owner has possession of the three fasteners removed. Vehicle mileage 04-03-2010 was 046741. 4 there are reported incidences of this potential defect on the internet which have the ability to cause a crash or damage or death. To my knowledge there has not been a recall issued or potential safety defect sent to vehicle owners.

While driving 55 mph front brake caliper assembly fell off. As a result, the vehicle came to a screeching halt and had to be towed. Dealer stated that caliper bolts backed out and fell out.

The two mounting bolts for the front brake calipers come loose. It has happened twice, in each case it has occurred on the left and right front calipers. Both times it has happened after a brake job. After approximately 200-300 miles on the new pads, the caliper bolts can be re-tightened and do not come loose again.

At highway speed (70 mph) in left lane of 4 lane divided highway ( conditions dry) was required to perform emergency braking due to slow moving vehicle pulling into our lane. Felt abs braking (pulsing) for about 1-2 seconds and then truck whipped 90 degrees to the right. Skidded across highway, straighten up, but slid off right shoulder into ditch. Only minor damage to truck. On the highway there was visible a skid mark for right side of truck at the point of braking (no skid marks for left wheels) and skid mark across the highway at about 45 degree angle. Truck had previously been to dealer twice in previous 2 months with complaint about brakes being rough on release. Returned truck to dealer on 2/15/03 and dealer kept until 2/19/03 and reported there was nothing wrong with the brakes. Met with dealer service manager on 3/3/03 and service manager and Ford engineer today (3/4/03) and we could not duplicate problem on several attempts at 50-60 mph. Engineer admitted there were only a couple of things that would cause right brake to lock up, abs module or caliper. Asked what I wanted and I asked them to replace abs module and caliper. They refused.

2001 Ford f150 supercrew. Took the vehicle to the dealer to check the tire tread for excessive wear and front aligment. First dealership said it was due to aggressive driving. In 2 years I have replaced the brakes 5 times, the rotors 3 times and I am on my 3rd set of calipers.

Right front bolts that hold brake caliper on fell off. Vehicle came to a abrupt stop. Two weeks later, left front brake caliper fell off. This time it poked a hole in tire, and could have caused a dangerous accident.

Our insured, mr mohssin, performed an evasive manuever at highway speed applying the brakes to the maximum while turning. His 2001 f150 harley edition is equipped with abs as well as 20" rims which are 40lbs heavier than stock. In the last several weeks, we have gathered sufficient evidence to suggest that the lf and rf brake caliper brackets snapped during this loss causing both tire/wheel/hub assys to shear off the spindle nuts and become separated from the vehicle. There was no impact with any other vehicle prior to this and all components on this vehicle are oem. It is the opinion of our indpendent reconstructionist engineer that there is ample reason for Ford to be concerned and review the evidence for themselves. To date, we have had no luck getting any response or interest in reviewing our findings. Many avenues have been pursued to seek some response. The only contact so far has directed us to submit a subrogation demand if we seek recovery. Our concern at this point is to get the insured his vehicle back. Physical evidence has been secured. Repairs will begin the first week of July. We would appreciate it if the NHTSA could persuade a Ford representative to contact our ncal pd mgr, eric hacker at 916 853-4607 to confirm Ford's position. We appreciate any assistance you can provide.