Ok I took my 02 FWD Escape into the shop today for a tire rotation. They call me into the shop to show me that my right side front brake pads are about 50%. The left side are about 15-25%. Its just a tire shop so they don't have a mechanic and can't really tell me why this happened.

The inner pad on the drivers side is thinner than the outer pad but not by alot. Definetly not even wear though.

What can be causing this. The vehicle does not pull when brakes are applied hard or light. I ran about 45mph and stabbed the brakes but not enough for ABS to engage. I let go of the wheel and it tracked straight with no pull whatsoever.

My wife said sometimes when turned right and applying the brakes she hears a grinding sound like metal to metal but I cannot see anything that grinding.

I suspect the caliper is not floating like it should but I am not sure.

The rear brakes are about 75% and even wear.

ANy thoughts? Could I have a bad caliper? Or a bad set of pads? This is weird because it does not pull at all.

I ordered some new brakes and rotors today.

 

Conventional rear wheel drive, they always check the front right side because it wears faster. It could be different on FWD??

 

You have a caliper or caliper pin that is sticking, it is not uncommon. Teardown and inspection will reveal the cause.

Sticking calipers or pins will rarely cause a noticeable pull. That is because by the time the sticking became severe enough to cause a pull, severe heat damage will probably have occurred to the brakes, resulting in noticeable heat, discoloration, smoke, or even a flash fire.

The minor difference in wear you see is most likely the result of a slightly dragging brake for several thousand miles, not a recent critical event.

Make sure you thouroughly clean all brake components and use the proper lubricants upon reassembly.

Jay

 

Thats kinda of what I was thinking and will tear into it tomarrow. Thanks for info.

Wptski- I am not sure what you are trying to say. In all the vehicles I have owned I have never seen uneven wear on the brakes. Yes maybe 50% to 45% compared but not 50% to 25%.

 

On my '97 Ranger, I got a grinding sound while braking. The right inside pad was gone and the outside pad was almost gone. The left side was much thicker. The Escape FWD has a long/short front spindle drive or asymmetric, meaning there is a unbalanced weight distribution issue which "may" cause one side to wear faster than the other but that's just a guess. A symmetric system will have spindles of the same lenght on each side.

I mentioned that to a car buff friend at work and he said that's why they always pull the right front to check them as they wear faster on that corner! I have no idea why this is the case. I never heard the so-called brake pad sensor noise either.

 

Well I got them replaced this afternoon and could see a lot of junk and dust built up in the caliper and on the pins it rides on. I had put brakes on just over a year ago and as I recall I bought OEM replacement from NAPA. I think the cheap pads may have caused this not sure. I cleaned everything real well and bought the mid grade pads this time, so we will see.

I talked the parts guys who told me uneven wear of this magnatude is uncommon. They said it is not uncommon to have one side at lets say 50% and the other at 60%. It depends on your driving, ie city and rural. They told me anything over 15% difference between them is not normal.

They also said FWD does make difference but 15% is the still the limit.

I must say of all the vehicles I have owned Escape brakes are probably the easiest I have ever done. I did both sides in under 45 minutes, and that included replacing the rotors.

 

I may get a little flaming for this but: Welcome to ford brakes.
Between me and my brother we have owned 5 Fords and they have all had the inner pad on one side or another wear faster, though not by much. Even when brand new.

 

i have an '06 escape 4x4, and i have had the same problem twice.. front, right wheel.. outside pad worn down to nothing, inside pad looked almost new.. driver's side also looked almost new, and was wearing evenly.. what gives? just replaced the pads AND the rotors..3rd set of pads now.. it has about 90000 miles on it... will see what happens.. I figured it was a sticking caliper.. but the slide pins are clean and still had grease on them. if it happens again i'm replacing everything.. rotors, pads AND the calipers.