Brake Disc Caliper Problems of Ford Freestar

The brake proportioning system (front/rear) does not function properly causing premature failure of the rear brakes. This allows the calipers to overextend and freeze causing rear brake failure and hydraulic fluid loss. This requires the replacement of the rear calipers every 15k miles this has occurred several times at approximately 15k intervals. This is the reverse of most vehicles that do the majority of their stopping with the front brakes.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar 🔎.

Took my 2005 Ford Freestar minivan with only 43,223 miles into Ford dealer for annual safety inspection. Advised both rear calipers were bad, caused premature wear of break pads and rotors which needed turned. The repair cost me $581. 40. I have owned many vehicles, and never have I had calipers fail at 43k miles. I believe this to be a manufacturer defect that I as a consumer had to foot the bill for. I do not have the parts.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Freestar 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. In the summer of 2008 he noticed that the vehicle surged and shut off when he attempted to park at low speeds. The dealer diagnosed the failure and determined that the throttle body failed; however, the part is on back order. He also stated that the rear calipers were defected and that they were unable to repair them. The vehicle identification number was not available. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 59,000.

I've been asking about the weird brake noise (grinding) each time I've taken my vehicle in for service at Ford dealerships. I was always told nothing was wrong and that my pads were fine. I took car to another repair shop because my brakes were obviously shot and they said the calipers were bad. They also said it seemed premature for my car. The Ford dealership said the same thing to me over the phone and a third repair shop said they shouldn't have been bad in the 2 years that I've owned the car. I've searched the web and found many others complaining of the same problem.

I took my car in for a routine oil change and tire rotation. (which I do every 5k, this was at about 40k). Rear driver brake pads were down to 10%, all others were fine. When replacing pads, the mechanic found brake fluid had leaked into the caliper, causing it to fail. The caliper failure caused overheating and dragging of the ceramic brake pad on the rotor, cutting a huge groove into rotor, which negated any chance of machining. The calipers, rotors and brake pads all required replacement with less than 40k miles on the car. . . Big $$$$. This failure seemed pre-mature, and was unusual even to a service manager with many years of experience. (he suggested that Ford should be notified, which they were, today, 11/26/2007).

The left rear caliper froze and wore out the brake and rotor. Then in 2012 the left rear caliper froze and wore out brake and rotor. As well as the right rear caliper.

On 4/11/07 Ford service department. Informed me the rear brakes & rotors on the 04 Freestar were shot and needed immediate replacement at a cost of $575. 00. I thought they were lying to me because I had more than 20 different cars,trucks,& vans, but never had factory installed brake pads wear out at 20000 miles ,and especially rotor damage so bad that they had to be replaced. Also there was no warning signs like a grinding noise or a pulsating brake pedal. Nothing. So I mentioned the 3/36 bumper 2 bumper warranty ,and the 6/75000 esp plus deluxe extended warranty w/$0 deductible , and I was told this was a wear item , and was not covered. They said I probably rode the brake pedal or drove with the parking brake on. I didn't drive with 2 feet and never used the parking brake. I asked how long were the brakes designed to last under normal use, . They didn't know. So I left the dealer, and went to an independant ex Ford mechanic , who determined to find a frozen caliper or something else defective. What we found was not what I was expecting. The calipers were not frozen, and the pads were not completely worn down although the outer pads were twice as worn as the inner pads,there was no metal to metal contact(rivets or pad backing). It seems that the metallic or semi-metallic pads themselves would rust a bit and since the front brakes do most of the stopping,t he rust on the rear pads never completely wore off each day and the pads and rotors never heated up enough to built up the glaze like the front pads. So the rotors were gouged by the rust build up on the pads. When examined closely,the deep gouges on the rotors lined up with the rust build up on the pads.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. While driving speeds ranging from 50 to 60mph, there is a grinding noise and the brake pedal is extended to the floorboard when depressed. The dealer stated that the rear calipers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Approximately one week later she experienced the same failure. The contact stated that the problem has occurred on 4 occasions and it is worse when it is raining. The current and failure mileage were 9,558. The consumer has provided a copy of repair invoice. Updated 06/07/07.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. While driving at 5 mph the contact heard a grinding noise in the rear of the vehicle when ever the brake were depressed. The mechanic stated that the grinding noise was due to the rear brakes. The mechanic replaced the rear brake pads, rotors, and calipers. There have not been any occurrences since the repair. The failure and current mileage was 40,000. Updated 05/04/07.

I returned from a cross country trip and heard a grinding noise coming from the rear of my 2005 Ford Freestar. To investigate I removed the wheels and found the passenger rear rotor and disc pad were metal to metal. I checked the other wheels, they showed no signs of damage, pads still had a lot of material remaining. I took the vehicle to craig Ford, in craig, colorado for repairs. At first I was told that it was a defective brake caliper and that warranty would cover the caliper, rotor and pads. However I was told later that the caliper was not defective and that I would be responsible for the total repair costs. Note, I had less than 30,000 miles on the vehicle at the time of the brake failure. I had to pay for the new rotor for the passenger rear, rear pads and turning the driver rear rotor which I was told is a normal procedure for e rear break job; I was not charged for a caliper so I presume craig Ford reused the caliper. Since work was being done on the rear, and I was having to pay for the repairs, I instructed craig Ford to do a complete brake job replacing pads and turning rotors on the front as well so that I would be starting again with 100% new brakes on all 4 wheels. When I picked the vehicle up, I was advised by the service manager, rob sovine, that he checked and there appeared to be a number of incidents of 2005 Ford Freestar passenger rear brakes wearing prematurely, with no know reason for this problem; and that there was no recall or service bulletin regarding this problem. I had no choice but to pay for the repairs as the vehicle was inoperable, but since I was not the only owner experiencing this problem, according to mr. Sovine, I felt and still do feel that Ford should do something about this problem.

Faulty caliper on the Ford 2004 Freestar.

A rear brake caliper stuck which caused the brake pad to grind down to zero pad and into my rotor. I had to have the pads and rotors replaced due to the failure of the caliper. The caliper is a covered part under the warranty. The dealer and Ford refuses to cover the resulting damage to the rotors even though the warranty clearly states that it would do so. I want reimbursed for my repair.

On July 6 2005 the consumer took the vehicle in for inspection and while inspecting it, the dealer stated that there was a problem. The dealer reported the brake pads and rotors needed to replaced . The consumer thinks this is unfair because this car was inspected and checked regularly. There were no warnings from the vehicle that there was a problem. The consumer stated it was the caliper that originally caused the problem. Vehicle has not been repaired yet.

Grinding noise in rear pass side wheel. Caliper failed, caused the pad to slip and ate through the rotor causing the wheel to lock up completely. Took vehicle to Ford dealer, they advised the whole brake system needed to be replaced, which we did. Caliper, rotor, and pad replaced on rear pass side brake system, and pad replaced on rear driver's side.

Right rear brake caliper frozen after just one year.