Brake Squeal

[CorporateEdge]

My 2008 SEL has developed an annoying squeal out of two of the brakes. It shows up once the car has been driven for a few minutes, especially at highway speed. I took it in to the shop today and they said the pads are 50-60% left (only 46,000 km) and the backing plate is fine (noted in another post) and everything else looks good.

 

The technician pointed out a slight ridge at the inner and outer edge of the disc surface where the brake pad stops. He is speculating that the rotor heats up and the ridge is rubbing against the edge of the pads causing the squeal. His recommendation was to grind off the ridge and bevel the edge of the pad. He also recommended to go to an after market pad once it is time to do the brakes.

 

A friend with the exact same Edge has the same squeal but the mechanic he took it to just said " we can't see anything and you have lots of life left on your pads".

 

Has anyone else run in to this problem with their Edge ?

[bbf2530]

My 2008 SEL has developed an annoying squeal out of two of the brakes. It shows up once the car has been driven for a few minutes, especially at highway speed. I took it in to the shop today and they said the pads are 50-60% left (only 46,000 km) and the backing plate is fine (noted in another post) and everything else looks good.

 

The technician pointed out a slight ridge at the inner and outer edge of the disc surface where the brake pad stops. He is speculating that the rotor heats up and the ridge is rubbing against the edge of the pads causing the squeal. His recommendation was to grind off the ridge and bevel the edge of the pad. He also recommended to go to an after market pad once it is time to do the brakes.

 

A friend with the exact same Edge has the same squeal but the mechanic he took it to just said " we can't see anything and you have lots of life left on your pads".

 

Has anyone else run in to this problem with their Edge ?

 

Hi CE. :D Many brake squeal type noises are caused by some type of contaminant getting onto the stopping surface of the brake pad and squealing when the pad is applied to the rotor surface.

 

You can sometimes clean the pad surface by performing a couple of high speed, emergency type stops.

 

Find a safe, deserted place to do this. Zero traffic and no pedestrians for your safety and the safety of others. Simply perform two or three emergency type stops from 60 mph to 0 mph. And true emergency type stops, not leisurely 60 to 0 stops.

 

See if that helps and let us know.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 9, 2009 by bbf2530

[CorporateEdge]

Did it the other night on a nice long stretch of highway with no one behind me. Took it up to 140 kph and then jumped on the brakes hard. Repeated a couple of times but no joy. I was surpised by the distance to stop which seemed to be very long.

 

It might be pad contamination but the problem is only getting worse.

 

I am taking it back in on Monday. Even if they have to turn the rotors just a bit something has got to get done. I drove 4 hours at highway speed yesterday with the squeal (at least two wheels judging by the two different audible tones) almost the entire time. Its so noisy now that I can't tell which wheels are squealing. Even if they have to turn the rotors, which seems drastic for only 47,000 km, I just want to have the noise stop !

 

Thanks for the suggestion

[bbf2530]

Did it the other night on a nice long stretch of highway with no one behind me. Took it up to 140 kph and then jumped on the brakes hard. Repeated a couple of times but no joy. I was surpised by the distance to stop which seemed to be very long.

 

It might be pad contamination but the problem is only getting worse.

 

I am taking it back in on Monday. Even if they have to turn the rotors just a bit something has got to get done. I drove 4 hours at highway speed yesterday with the squeal (at least two wheels judging by the two different audible tones) almost the entire time. Its so noisy now that I can't tell which wheels are squealing. Even if they have to turn the rotors, which seems drastic for only 47,000 km, I just want to have the noise stop !

 

Thanks for the suggestion

 

Hi CE. :D Of course, Internet diagnosis is shaky at best, completely inaccurate at worst, but: If you have a constant squeal/noise, even with no brake application as you are describing, it sounds like more than brake pad contamination.

 

Has the Dealer checked for sticking calipers or wheel bearing problems? I know you seem to not be happy with your Dealership, have you tried having your car serviced at another Dealership?

 

Just shots in the Internet dark here.

 

Keep us updated and good luck. :beerchug:

[CorporateEdge]

I like forums like this for general ideas that can be suggested to the mechanic. In this case its a company car and they do not like us taking it to the dealer unless its a warranty issue. With 47,000 km and over a year old there is not likely to be any warranty issue so I have been dealing with an independent brake shop who seem to be reasonable.

 

The first time they looked at it was when I swapped the snow tires they checked the backing plates (per one posting here), the emergency brake and pad wear. No charge since it was up on the hoist any way. As noted, the mechanic said he "thinks" it may be the ridging at the outer edge of the pads.

 

I will let him do the "vodoo that he do" and see what happens. I am surprised this has not come up with other owners as my use of the Edge is 100% typical.

Edited April 10, 2009 by CorporateEdge

[bbf2530]

I like forums like this for general ideas that can be suggested to the mechanic. In this case its a company car and they do not like us taking it to the dealer unless its a warranty issue. With 47,000 km and over a year old there is not likely to be any warranty issue so I have been dealing with an independent brake shop who seem to be reasonable.

 

The first time they looked at it was when I swapped the snow tires they checked the backing plates (per one posting here), the emergency brake and pad wear. No charge since it was up on the hoist any way. As noted, the mechanic said he "thinks" it may be the ridging at the outer edge of the pads.

 

I will let him do the "vodoo that he do" and see what happens. I am surprised this has not come up with other owners as my use of the Edge is 100% typical.

 

Hi CE. :D Before I continue, let me say upfront that I am not trying to tell you or your Company how to service your car. However, there is a 3 year/36,000 mile Warranty on the Edge (in the U.S). Since you quote your mileage in kilometers, perhaps you are in Canada and I am not sure at the moment what the Canadian Warranty is, but it must be similar.

 

I must politely disagree with your assumption that "With 47,000 km and over a year old there is not likely to be any warranty issue." It could very well be a Warranty covered issue. In fact, that is more likely than not.

 

Since your Edge is not even two years old and has less than 36,000 miles, the best course of action is usually to bring it to the Dealership for service. In this way, the Dealership can check for the latest TSB's and other inside information that is sometimes only available to Ford Service Technicians, but not necessarily available to outside Service Shops. This may be a problem that could have been taken care of at a Ford Dealer in the first visit.

 

By taking it to the Ford Dealer, if the problem is Warranty covered (which most are in the first 3 years/36,000 miles) then there obviously is no charge. If it is not covered by Warranty and there would be an out-of-pocket charge, all you need to do is inform the Service Writer ahead of time (when you dropped your car off) not to perform any non-Warranty repairs without contacting you first. Have it noted on the Repair/Work Order. Then once you are contacted, you can decide whether to have it Dealer repaired or repaired at your Independent Service Shop. This is what I do.

 

Additionally, since the vast majority of vehicles a Ford Dealer services are Ford vehicles (obviously), the Ford Service Techs are more familiar with Ford vehicles and their particular strong points and weak points. An independent Service Shop, no matter how competent and "reasonable" may not have that familiarity (or information access), unless they only specialize in Ford vehicles.

 

Again as I stated upfront, I am not trying to force you to do something your Company does not allow. But since your car is still covered under the Bumper to Bumper Warranty, a visit to the Dealer would be your best course of action.

 

Just trying to help you get this taken care of as quickly as possible.

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 11, 2009 by bbf2530

[druck52]

Hi CE. :D Before I continue, let me say upfront that I am not trying to tell you or your Company how to service your car. However, there is a 3 year/36,000 mile Warranty on the Edge (in the U.S). Since you quote your mileage in kilometers, perhaps you are in Canada and I am not sure at the moment what the Canadian Warranty is, but it must be similar.

 

I must politely disagree with your assumption that "With 47,000 km and over a year old there is not likely to be any warranty issue." It could very well be a Warranty covered issue. In fact, that is more likely than not.

 

Since your Edge is not even two years old and has less than 36,000 miles, the best course of action is usually to bring it to the Dealership for service. In this way, the Dealership can check for the latest TSB's and other inside information that is sometimes only available to Ford Service Technicians, but not necessarily available to outside Service Shops. This may be a problem that could have been taken care of at a Ford Dealer in the first visit.

 

By taking it to the Ford Dealer, if the problem is Warranty covered (which most are in the first 3 years/36,000 miles) then there obviously is no charge. If it is not covered by Warranty and there would be an out-of-pocket charge, all you need to do is inform the Service Writer ahead of time (when you dropped your car off) not to perform any non-Warranty repairs without contacting you first. Have it noted on the Repair/Work Order. Then once you are contacted, you can decide whether to have it Dealer repaired or repaired at your Independent Service Shop. This is what I do.

 

Additionally, since the vast majority of vehicles a Ford Dealer services are Ford vehicles (obviously), the Ford Service Techs are more familiar with Ford vehicles and their particular strong points and weak points. An independent Service Shop, no matter how competent and "reasonable" may not have that familiarity (or information access), unless they only specialize in Ford vehicles.

 

Again as I stated upfront, I am not trying to force you to do something your Company does not allow. But since your car is still covered under the Bumper to Bumper Warranty, a visit to the Dealer would be your best course of action.

 

Just trying to help you get this taken care of as quickly as possible.

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck. :beerchug:

 

 

Just so you know. Brake pads are only covered for 12 months or 18,000 miles. So he is probably correct that the pads would not be covered.

[bbf2530]

Just so you know. Brake pads are only covered for 12 months or 18,000 miles. So he is probably correct that the pads would not be covered.

 

Hi druck. :D Just so you know, I am not sure why you felt the need to quote my reply in your post. Since you did, I get the feeling that you did not read the full thread. If you had read and understood the complete thread you would have understood that I never stated that the brake pads would be covered for normal wear and tear, do not think it is a brake pad problem (using extremely inaccurate Internet diagnosis ), and have been pointing out to CE the possibility of it being more than a brake pad problem (i.e. sticking calipers, wheel bearing problems, etc).

 

Actually, if you had not quoted my reply and simply told CE "Just so you know CE, the Warranty coverage on brake pads for normal wear and tear is 12 months/18,000 miles", I would have had nothing to say or add. But since you did quote my reply, it seems you felt you had to correct something that I did not even say. The problem here is that CE is under the mistake impression that almost anything with the brakes will not be covered under Warranty. That is incorrect. If anything, you as a Ford Tech should encourage CE and others to bring their cars into a Ford Dealer for service, so they can be diagnosed and repaired correctly. Warranty and otherwise. Right?

 

Concerning your reply: The 12 month/18,000 mile Warranty applies only to replacement due to normal wear and tear. Warranty coverage for brake pads found to be defective in material or workmanship and/or any collateral damage cause by those defective pads would still be covered under Warranty for 3 years/36,000 miles.

 

It also seems you did not realize that the conversation had already progressed beyond a discussion of whether it is actually the brake pads or not. CE has not had his car into a Ford Dealership to be properly diagnosed, and is currently simply going by the word of a mechanic in a local brake shop. And this brake shop mechanic closely looked at the brake pads and only ""thinks" it may be the ridging at the outer edge of the pads." Well, if I had a close look at CE's brakes, I would have been able to definitively say for sure if that was the problem or not. So this leads me to believe the mechanic is only guessing and it just as likely is not the brake pads causing the problem. When a mechanic has had a chance to see the pads/brake system components close up, "I think" doesn't cut it (in my opinion). Therefore, I still recommend that CE take his car to a Ford Dealer for a proper diagnosis. And then if it is a Warranty problem, it will be covered.

 

Additionally, my advice already took into account what he should do/can do to protect himself if the takes it to his Ford Dealer for service and it should turn out to be a non-Warranty item. He would still have the option to take his Edge someplace else for repair.

 

However, the current facts are that his car is still under Warranty. So therefore, for the most comprehensive coverage, he should take the car into a Ford Dealership to be diagnosed. If it is not a "brake pad problem" then there is a damn good chance it would be covered under Warranty. I would certainly hope you would not disagree with that sensible advice.

 

You do agree that CE should bring his car to a Ford Dealer for proper diagnosis and service, especially since it is still under Warranty, right? Well, that is all I was trying to say.

 

The rest is up to CE, and I respect whatever decision he and his company may make.

 

Hope all of the above information makes my reply a bit easier for you to understand.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 11, 2009 by bbf2530

[druck52]

Hi druck. :D Just so you know, I am not sure why you felt the need to quote my reply in your post. Since you did, I get the feeling that you did not read the full thread. If you had read and understood the complete thread you would have understood that I never stated that the brake pads would be covered for normal wear and tear, do not think it is a brake pad problem (using extremely inaccurate Internet diagnosis ), and have been pointing out to CE the possibility of it being more than a brake pad problem (i.e. sticking calipers, wheel bearing problems, etc).

 

Actually, if you had not quoted my reply and simply told CE "Just so you know CE, the Warranty coverage on brake pads for normal wear and tear is 12 months/18,000 miles", I would have had nothing to say or add. But since you did quote my reply, it seems you felt you had to correct something that I did not even say. The problem here is that CE is under the mistake impression that almost anything with the brakes will not be covered under Warranty. That is incorrect. If anything, you as a Ford Tech should encourage CE and others to bring their cars into a Ford Dealer for service, so they can be diagnosed and repaired correctly. Warranty and otherwise. Right?

 

Concerning your reply: The 12 month/18,000 mile Warranty applies only to replacement due to normal wear and tear. Warranty coverage for brake pads found to be defective in material or workmanship and/or any collateral damage cause by those defective pads would still be covered under Warranty for 3 years/36,000 miles.

 

It also seems you did not realize that the conversation had already progressed beyond a discussion of whether it is actually the brake pads or not. CE has not had his car into a Ford Dealership to be properly diagnosed, and is currently simply going by the word of a mechanic in a local brake shop. And this brake shop mechanic closely looked at the brake pads and only ""thinks" it may be the ridging at the outer edge of the pads." Well, if I had a close look at CE's brakes, I would have been able to definitively say for sure if that was the problem or not. So this leads me to believe the mechanic is only guessing and it just as likely is not the brake pads causing the problem. When a mechanic has had a chance to see the pads/brake system components close up, "I think" doesn't cut it (in my opinion). Therefore, I still recommend that CE take his car to a Ford Dealer for a proper diagnosis. And then if it is a Warranty problem, it will be covered.

 

Additionally, my advice already took into account what he should do/can do to protect himself if the takes it to his Ford Dealer for service and it should turn out to be a non-Warranty item. He would still have the option to take his Edge someplace else for repair.

 

However, the current facts are that his car is still under Warranty. So therefore, for the most comprehensive coverage, he should take the car into a Ford Dealership to be diagnosed. If it is not a "brake pad problem" then there is a damn good chance it would be covered under Warranty. I would certainly hope you would not disagree with that sensible advice.

 

You do agree that CE should bring his car to a Ford Dealer for proper diagnosis and service, especially since it is still under Warranty, right? Well, that is all I was trying to say.

 

The rest is up to CE, and I respect whatever decision he and his company may make.

 

Hope all of the above information makes my reply a bit easier for you to understand.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

He has had inspected and they did not find any sticking calipers, and plenty of pad material left. While I agree with taking it to the dealership most times as i work at one. I do not see a reason to if it is infact the pads. If he trusts his mechanic why spend the extra time and money to take it to the dealership for the same diagnosis.

[bbf2530]

He has had inspected and they did not find any sticking calipers, and plenty of pad material left. While I agree with taking it to the dealership most times as i work at one. I do not see a reason to if it is infact the pads. If he trusts his mechanic why spend the extra time and money to take it to the dealership for the same diagnosis.

 

Hi druck. :D We will simply need to "agree to disagree".

 

He had it looked at by a "brake shop mechanic" who said "I think it might be..." and did nothing to repair it. Not a diagnosis that I would trust. Reread the entire thread and you will find that you have made several very general assumptions. For example, I do not call a quick look while rotating tires to be an in depth diagnosis. And he spent no money other than the tire rotation, and has to take it back to the "Brake Shop" anyway for a repair which he will then need to pay for. So there would be no "extra time and money" spent to have it properly diagnosed by his Ford Dealership. And again, if the problem should be Warranty covered, he would have no out of pocket expense by taking it to the Dealership. He will have to pay the "Brake Shop" for a proper diagnosis and repair.

 

I trust my Ford or Lincoln Mercury Dealership Techs much more than I trust a brake shop mechanic, and find it ironic that a "Ford Tech" would tell someone to have their Warranty covered vehicle repaired somewhere else.

 

So as I said, we will have to "agree to disagree".

 

Hopefully, CE will let us know what the final outcome is.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 13, 2009 by bbf2530

[CorporateEdge]

Had the Edge in and the problem is "fixed". If it wasn't a corporate car and company money I would have taken it to the dealer as I agree with one of the posts saying the Ford mechanics would likely be more aware of Ford problems and it would have saved me some time and money.

 

Bottom line is they had to replace the rear rotors and pads. I don't know if it was the cause of the problem or the large amount of driving I did with the problem occuring but the rear brake pads were cracked and fell to pieces upon removal. They were extremely glazed over and the rear rotors were a mess. $530.00 Cdn including all our taxes to get it fixed ! At 50,000 km (30,000 miles) I would be talking to Ford customer service about this problem and asking for some consideration as this just doesn't seem right.

 

The mechanic said his contact at Ford said they have had reports of the brakes not properly/fully releasing. I wonder if this was not the case and I "cooked" the rear pads? He also did a "service" on the front brakes to ensure they were releasing etc...

 

I had to laugh/cry when they advised me that they could not get after market rotors locally. They had to order them from Ford and they came from way across town. The Oakville plant that makes the Edge is about 15 miles from the garage !

 

All I really care about is I can drive without listening to the howl and squeal from the brakes for hours on end. Next I need to get the passenger door lock thats going crazy (sorry, can't duplicate problem my a**) and a drivers window that is making strange rubbing groaning sounds looked after.

 

First year or so I was really impressed with how Ford had changed. Now I'm wondering about the quality/durability longer term. Perhaps the Fix Or Repair Daily acronym isn't dead yet. Hey, at least its not a Chrysler

[igcitng]

Catching this post late, I see you are fixed. I know what you went thru. My old truck suddenly had squealy brakes all of the time, moving and stopping. And they were new brakes. The noise was embarassing and annoying.

 

My dad kept pulling them apart, finding nothing interesting. It turned out to be the wear sensor. Fell off, got stuck. Put it back, kept falling off. Finally just took it off and threw it away and problem solved.

[terrapete]

Bottom line is they had to replace the rear rotors and pads. I don't know if it was the cause of the problem or the large amount of driving I did with the problem occuring but the rear brake pads were cracked and fell to pieces upon removal. They were extremely glazed over and the rear rotors were a mess. $530.00 Cdn including all our taxes to get it fixed ! At 50,000 km (30,000 miles) I would be talking to Ford customer service about this problem and asking for some consideration as this just doesn't seem right.

 

The mechanic said his contact at Ford said they have had reports of the brakes not properly/fully releasing. I wonder if this was not the case and I "cooked" the rear pads? He also did a "service" on the front brakes to ensure they were releasing etc...

 

I seem to have the same issue. With 39,000 kms, (24,000 miles) the rear brakes have a very subtle squeal which disappears when you apply the brakes. If I brake hard the rear rotors feel warped. I have noticed the rear discs seem extremely hot sometimes. It is booked for Monday morning.

[CorporateEdge]

terrapete, I assume you are up here in Canada (hence KM vs Miles) and that you are taking it to a Ford dealer. As I indicated in retrospective I wish I had taken it to Ford first. The "word" my brake shop got from their contact at Ford was there is an issue with sticking calipers.

 

In order to avoid the "we cannot reproduce the problem" crap with the Ford Dealer try and figure out when the problem typically happens and recreate them prior to dropping off the car. In my case I would have had to drive for 10-15 minutes on the highway to heat things up. This assumes the car doesn't cool down while you wait to take a service rep out for spin. Be specific about what they need to do to recreate the problem. If its 10 minutes highway vs 20 minutes city stop and go etc....

 

Sounds like your rear calipers are not fully releasing which is what I bet my problem was. Ask them to pull a rear brake pad, not just inspect it in place. As I mentioned my pads were cracked to the point they fell apart when removed.

 

Also, if you have a rotor pulse then you can count on warped rotors. Ask for warranty coverage/accomodation if they don't offer it. Rotors now adays are typically to thin to machine once they warp

 

Let us know what they find out/what it costs.

Edited May 8, 2009 by CorporateEdge

[Ksaness07Edge]

Bottom line is they had to replace the rear rotors and pads. I don't know if it was the cause of the problem or the large amount of driving I did with the problem occuring but the rear brake pads were cracked and fell to pieces upon removal. They were extremely glazed over and the rear rotors were a mess. $530.00 Cdn including all our taxes to get it fixed ! At 50,000 km (30,000 miles) I would be talking to Ford customer service about this problem and asking for some consideration as this just doesn't seem right.

 

 

I dropped off my 07 AWD Edge on Tuesday for the same problem. I have 41,000 Miles on the it. It developed the "whistle" at highway speed and then eventually even around town. They said the ware on the rotors was ok but it had developed some "hot spots" so they recommended replacing the whole lot. Was quoted $517usd

[CorporateEdge]

Given service costs in the USA are usually much cheaper I assume they are doing all 4 rotors for the price you are quoting.

 

I'm not a mechanic but what the #*!! is a hot spot? Area of locallized heat distortion caused by contaminents on the brake pad ? My rotors looked like an old LP with all kinds of grooves on the face and a ridge of metal just outside of the pad location.

 

The 530 figure I gave was rear rotors/pads only and "service" on the fronts

 

It seems like rotors are now a standard replacement item like pads on most cars. The days of being able to turn the rotors a couple of times before having to replace them are long gone. I guess thats progress (???)