My '03 EB Expedition has a brake squeak from 0-4 mph. It is a somewhat low-pitched rythmic squeak that occurs on each rotation of the wheels from 0-4 mph. It occurs both while applying the brakes when slowing down and when accelerating from a stop. It only occurs after about 20 minutes of heavy brake usage in stop and go traffic or after using the brakes while driving down a steep grade. My service department (which is generally pretty good) could not find the problem from a visual inspection of the brakes and could not reproduce the problem in a test drive because of the time it takes for the problem to occur.

Any insight as to what the problem might be and/or whether it is something that I should be worried about would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Had the same problem, fixed about a year ago (new brake pads). In the process the break dust went away with the squeak. I'm out of town and in the process of moving or I would be able to provide the fix #. If you are near a large Ford dealer they have probably working on the same issue before.

 

I had the brake pads replaced, which corrected the dust problem, but did not fix the squeak. Someone else suggested to me the brake pads may have been installed incorrectly. I mentioned that to the dealer and he said that the pads looked like they were installed correctly.

On the dust problem, unfortunately the damage is done -- I noticed some corrosion on the wheels that does not come off. The moral of that story is don't let the service advisor convince you that the brake dust will not damage the finish on wheels.

 

There are numerous reasons for break "squeal/squeak": when you reach the bottom of the wear-indicator groove, when there's dust/dirt between the pad and rotors, when the anti-rattle clips are mis-aligned or gone, when the pads are mis-aligned in the anti-rattle clips (a LOT of uneven pad wear), when there's no "anti-break squeal" grease (silicone) smeared on the back of the pads, frozen caliper piston and (worst case scenario) when the friction material is ALL gone and you're using your backing material to machine down your rotors while trying to stop your vehicle. That noise should be embarrassingly LOUD. I'd better calm down; DON'T get me started on rotors!!

As for brake pad dust, there is NO such thing as dustless brake pads!!! As the linings wear, the dust is deposited everywhere; not just on the wheels/tires. Most linings are EXTREMELY corrosive, especially the ones with asbestos (yes, they still make those!!!). That dust will very quickly attack even coated alloy wheels. Forget about uncoated wheels; even a brass bristle brush will not get all that dust from all those tiny cast cavities. I frequently use just soap and warm water to remove the dust from my wheels; I even remove the wheels from the hubs about once a month and clean the backsides of the wheels. I'm not saying I detail my car after each use, but pretty close to it. Wanna know what vehicle will dust the worst? Look at the stopping distances in the owner's manual of different vehicles: the car with the shortest stopping distance will dust the worst. Most manufacturer's will choose a pad that makes their spec's look good; not a pad that'll keep your car clean. All this is my $.02 worth.

 

I had some squeak; they replaced the pads to the new ones, then I had to have them machine the rotors. That solved the squeak.