I own a 2003 ford f250 7.3 liter diesel pickup. On inspection, required by pa law for safety reasons, it failed because of rotor rust. I then had to replace all four brakes and rotors at a considerable cost to me. . The truck had 33,309 miles on it and was stored and used similar to three other older vehicles I owned the same thing occurred on this truck at 19,750 miles when it was 3 years old. The earlier rust issue was covered under warranty. Rusting brake pads are unacceptable in today's world. I have never had this type of problem in the past and suspect ford is using sub standard steel. Other parts on this truck have rusted out and I will enter separate reports on those problems.
Ford F-250 premature wear problems
17 of the 4,361 owner complaints about the Ford F-250 describe rotors or pads wearing out early, most of them for the 1999 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 1999
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20032
- 20001
- 19997
- 19981
- 19973
- 19961
- 19931
- 19921
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 2Brake failure 2Water leak 1Pulling 1Power steering loss 1Overheating 1Fire or smoke 1
What owners say
I just entered a safety complaint regarding brake rotors rusting (( 10328142 ) on my 2003 ford f250 7.3 l diesel. This complaint regards rusting out radiator hose brackets. On july 6 th 2007 a radiator hose clamp rusted out , and I rapidly lost cooling, while on interstate 68 in md traveling at 65 MPH towing a travel trailer. I managed to stop the vehicle and trailer safely but had to be towed to a dealer for repairs. This was on a 4 year old truck.( just recently in conjunction with the rotor problem a wiring clamp rusted out under the body leaving loose dangling wires. At the time I thought it was a single rusting issue. Now that I am experiencing multiple failures I know the problems are more extensive.
The vehicle began experiencing a brake fade while coming to a hard stop. After the third time this happened, consumer tried to duplicate the event but was unsuccessful. Consumer took the vehicle to the local service station to have the brake system inspected. The technician looked over the brakes and saw no signs of damage or abnormal rotor wear. The tech suggested theat the rear rotors and all pads be replaced. In addition, the tech informed consumer that the brake line may not have been adequately bled from a previous recall service prior to purchasing the vehicle. Two weeks after the inspection there was a faint scraping sound coming from the right rear of the vehicle. Two weeks after hearing the noise, the brakes failed. On the ground were pieces of the brake pad and small fragments of cast steel. Brake fluid leaked heavily from the rear passenger side. The vehicle was towed to the local service center. The owner of the center concluded that the cause appeared to be a caliper which froze in the engaged position due to condensation within the caliper leading to inner corrosion and thus mechanical failure.
Rotors warped within 25000 miles of use, dealership turned rotors, warped again; rotors replaced, warped again after 1500 miles. Vehicle use is light w/occasional towing, within vehicle rating. Dlrship stated rotor problem known & common in this model.
Brake rotors warped at 2000miles. Dealer turned rotors and would not replace.
Dealer replaced warped rotors, calipers and pads to eliminate pulsating. Pulsation is beginning to recur.
Front brake rotors warped, and were replaced within a 8,000 to 10,000 mile period, cause unknown. *ak
Serpentine belt tensioner failure due to prematurely worn bushing. Problem is well known among dealership mechanics. This part controls the tension on the single serpentine belt which operates the power steering pump (may result in loss of ability to steer upon failure), the AC compressor, the water pump (may cause vehicle to overheat upon failure) and the alternator for the vehicle's electrical system.
The rotors warp at 12000 to 14000 mile increments. The dealer will only turn the rotors and not replace them till the minimum tolerance is reached. I understand that there are new heavier rotors, but ford refuses to replace rotors inpick-ups sold prior to mar 99., this is a engineered safety defect and I want some type of permanent fix. Thank you.
Front brake pads and rotors are prematurely wearing out, cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Related recalls
Parking brake: conventional: mechanical: linkage and cable
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions, failure of the front parking brake cable input button could result in failure of the parking brake system to hold the vehicle stationary.
- Risk
- This could result in unintended vehicle movement and a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front parking brake cable and the controller and verify the performance of the parking brake system. Owner notification began april 5, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 02V068000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- The retainer clip that holds the master cylinder push rod to the brake pedal arm is missing.
- Risk
- A loss of service braking can occur increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect to verify that the retainer clips are installed and if clips are missing will install clips.
Recall number 96V184000 · Recall details
Parking brake: conventional
- What is wrong
- The parking brake control self-adjust pawl does not line up properly with the self-adjust rachet causing the pawl to slip over one or more teeth in the rachet.
- Risk
- When the above occurs, it can result in parking brake system ineffectiveness. The parking brake will not hold the vehicle, causing the vehicle to roll freely, if the transmission is not left in gear.
- Remedy
- A wedge will be installed which will serve to lock the parking brake self-adjust mechanism pawl into engagement with the rachet. Also, owners will be advised to release and reapply the parking brake whenever tooth skip occurs and will be reminded to always turn off the engine and leave the vehicle in gear when the vehicle is parked.
Recall number 94V169001 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: drum: shoes/linings
- What is wrong
- A revised brake lining noise insulator resulted in a decrease in the thermal insulation between the brake lining and the front brake caliper piston. This caused greater heat transfer to the caliper pistons with the potential to overheat the brake fluid and diminish brake effectiveness during severe braking conditions.
- Risk
- Increased stopping distances and inablility to holdvehicles on a steep grade results in increased risk of accident in the event ofa sudden stop or when constant braking is needed to maneuver through areas withsteep grades.
- Remedy
- Add snap-in insulators that attach to each of the front brake caliper pistons. In addition, vehicles with 7.5 l engines will have insulation added to the engine compartment brake lines.
Recall number 92V026000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-250 premature wear
Which Ford F-250 years have rotors or pads wearing out early problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1999 (7 complaints), 1997 (3 complaints) and 2003 (2 complaints).
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