Hello,
I have a 2003 F350 4X4 Ext, Cab Longbed that I have had numerous brake issues with. I had bad pulling when braking but it was an intermittent problem. I finally got it to do it at the Ford house before it ran out of warranty and they supposably fixed it with some kind of a update or something. Then after it went out of the 36,000 mile factory warranty it did it again but only once or twice. I again could not duplicate it at the Ford house, so i just kind of let it ride. Now I have about 58,000 miles on the truck and have a bad vibration when braking almost like a rotor is warped or something. I notice it especially when I am exiting the freeway and medium braking to stop at the light at hte end of the off ramp. Does anyone know if this might be related to the original brake problem that was SUPPOSABLY fixed and whether there are any updates by Ford that might cover this under warranty since the braking issue has been a problem since before it went out of factory warranty.

Thanks,
Mike

 

The vibration is very common, and Ford won't fix it especially since you are out of warranty. There has been some debate here and other sites about what is actually happening with the rotors and brake pads. Most people have gone ahead and bit the bullet upgrading their rotors and pads to something more heavy duty. Others have had their rotors resurfaced only to have the problem come back again later.

My opinion is that from the factory the brakes aren't enough for these trucks. I've tried other routes as far as checking lug torque, pad wear, etc. Heck I don't even tow anything with it, just haul some loads every now and then. I have the vibration problems, but it is hardly even noticable so far. I'm sure with more time it will get worse, and when it does I'll upgrade to something heavy duty.

 

The fix is to buy new rotors. You can go stock of course or for a price go with the latest frozen tech rotors. They bring the rotor down as low as you can to align the molecules to make the metal stronger and harder.
http://www.appliedrotortechnology.com/
Welcome to the site!

 

I bought my 94 F250 from a guy when it had 35,000 miles on it. He took the truck back to the dealer so many times for the same issues and kept hounding them until they put new calipers, rotors and new drums and brake shoes on the rear. It worked real nice after that.
Sometimes the only way to get any satisfaction out of a dealer is to keep pestering them until they get sick of seeing you hanging around gripping.

 

I had a similar problem on a 2000 or 2001 Ford Taurus that I had as a company car. They shook like hell. Problem was warped rotors. I don't remember if I had the rotors replaced or turned but once I dealt with it, I never had another problem with it. Others in the company had similar problems with their brakes and either had the rotors turned or replaced and no further issues. I know I did not go with an aftermarket upgrade nor did any of my peers. Not sure why the brakes on the Taurus were a problem from the factory but they were and the problem sounds a lot like yours. Since it's your truck, you may want to upgrade rotors as others have suggested.

 

" from the factory the brakes aren't enough for these trucks"
Concur.
And I've heard they did fix the problem for 2005 but the 05s haven't really been around long enough to tell for sure.

 

The consensus I hear is that the tire rotation or anything that removes your wheels needs to be monitored...
the lug nuts need to be tightened evenly and IN SEQUENCE to step up evenly to 165 lbft on each lug...
Most impact wrenches easily get into the 225+ lbft range...
and if they tighten one completely to 225, THEN do the next one... obviously this "twist" the rotors...

some have even reported that doing this corrected their problem

 

I kinda disagree I tighten mine with a gun all the time and don't have issues with rotors. If you think about it the super duty rotors are thin where they meet the hub and all you are doing is squeezing the rotor between the wheel and the hub. the rotor doesn't care how much you squeeze it..On other designs where the rotor has the studs or bolts right in it I agree you can warp them. Most of the time rotor runnout is caused by pad material being left on the rotor. It changes the width of the rotor which causes you pedal to pulsate..this is caused by hard stops and extreem heat.
I have tried driving with some lugnuts tight and some loose and the brakes work fine, I did this just as a test. 50 ft lbs and 200 ft lbs. One hard stop can trash the pedal feel. sometimes this can be repaired by sanding the rotors to remove deposits.

Dick

 

As far as the torquing of the wheels, etc. goes, I've done all my own work, including rotating the tires religously every 9,000 miles and have torqued the lugs evenly to 160 ft. lbs. every time so, I don't think that is the issue, but I was already leaning toward the idea that maybe I may have a warped rotor. It just kinda pees my o to have only 58,000 miles on the truck and be about to put on the third set of rotors. The orig. set was replaced or machined, i cant remember about 30-35K miles ago and covered by some kind of a letter or something by ford at the local ford house. I've also looked into some aftermarket rotors. Does any one suggest whAT BRANDS ARE GOOD, AND i ALSO WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT THE BAD STORIES TOO, SO i CAN KNOW what brands to stay away from. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

I would revisit the issue with the dealer. They have to provide brake rotors that last more than 20,000 miles. Fixing it once to get you out of warranty does not cut it though the rules may only cover you for 12 mos/12K miles after the fix. Not sure. It's worth a try. Worst they can do is tell you no, then you are back to where you are now.

 

I have had the rotors replaced on my truck 3 times in 35,000 miles. Everytime they were warped. I don't do any heavy towing with the truck. Everytime they did the rotors and pads the truck would pull for the first 1000 miles then it would go away. Mine pulls every so often then stops doing it. I bought mine new and have never been happy with the brakes since day one as they never quite seem to work correctly. All the years I have been working on cars I have never torqued lug nuts nor have I ever had problems with warped rotors on anything unless I abused the brakes.