[trelaflip]

Hey guys,

I got a 2013 Focus ST with 60,000Km and I noticed around 57,000Km, the brakes starting squealing really bad.

When I hit the brakes at any speed I will get this squeal. You notice it the most at city driving speeds and stopping for a red light or stop sign.

I took the ST into the dealer and they charged me for a brake maintenance. They mentioned I had lots of life left on the pads (9mm and 7mm). I took the car home and the squealing was still bad. I took the car back in and they did another check only to tell me the exact same thing, there is nothing wrong.

Just the past two days the brakes seem worse then they ever were. I'm not talking a light squeal you normally here time to time when weather is wet or in colder temperatures. This is a loud, high pitch and very annoying squeal any time my foot hit the brake. Even when light touching or feathering.

I called Ford and they told me its the brake pads and there is nothing they can do. They mentioned its a hard ceramic pad and that is the nature of the beast. I don't really buy it. I can understand some squealing but not this much.

Has anyone else ran into this or is it really just the brake pads?

Thanks.

 

[sailor]

If it's the pads, a light touch will just make it worse at this point.

Try a few hard stops & see if the noise goes away.

 

[felixthecat]

Pretty much what Roger mentioned above.

 

[FordServiceCA]

Hey guys,

I got a 2013 Focus ST with 60,000Km and I noticed around 57,000Km, the brakes starting squealing really bad...

Let’s see how we can turn things around for you, trelaflip. Since your previous visits at the dealer weren’t conclusive, I recommend seeking a second opinion. Feel free to choose other dealers, as they’re owned and operated independently. To locate one, click on this: http://www.ford.ca/dealerships/locate/ Please get back to me with the dealer info, booking arrangements, VIN, registered name on the vehicle, and daytime phone number via PM; I’ll loop in your customer service manager.

Kwasi

 

[trelaflip]

Thanks for the recommendations. I tried a couple hard stops but the brakes are still pretty bad.

Thanks Kwasi. I will be in touch.

 

[CorvZ061]

sounds like the pads and rotors have glazed over, your best bet is to do several 'panic stops' get going about 45-50 mph and get hard on the brakes , as in make sure the ABS is doing it's job, down to 5-10 or so, do NOT come to a complete stop. get back up to speed and do it again. you have to get the rotors and pads hot to burn through the glazing. If that doesn't do anything after 4-5 times you will need to have the rotors turned and pads scuffed a little.

 

[FordServiceCA]

...Thanks Kwasi. I will be in touch.

My pleasure, trelaflip. I've escalated your concern to the regional customer service manager. Please check your PM for more updates.

Kwasi

 

[trelaflip]

Just an update...

I took my car to the 2nd dealer this morning to get a second opinion. Before I went, I did try hitting the brakes hard a couple times and still no luck. I had this annoying squeal at every stop.

Anyway.....I'm not quite sure what to think. I left the 2nd dealer and my brakes still squeal like a SOB.

The 2nd dealer advised me that I have really bad glazing on the rear brakes and my rotors are shot in the front. With this said, I need a brake service for the rear and need new rotors or have the rotors resurfaced on the front. They then quoted me $500 for new rotors and pads on the front and then told me they "may" be able to do the service for the rear at no charge if I paid for new rotors.

I am confused.....The 1st dealer didn't mention anything about rotors being shot or anything about my brakes being glazed. On top of that, the 1st dealer charged me $200 to have the brakes service done which didn't help. Now Im wondering what the brakes service at the 1st dealer even included? Also, my car is highway driven so I barely use the brakes. Is the 2nd dealer telling me my rotors wore out in just over a year???? My old 2003 Focus ZX3 and my G8 GT brakes lasted much longer and I would assume the brakes in the ST would be of higher quality.

So with that said I left the dealer with these brakes I can barely handle. Are rotors not covered under warranty for premature wear?

Rant over.

 

[CorvZ061]

i had some rotors turned on a F150 under warranty, the truck only had 3500 miles when they started warping. I think ford uses cheap rotors on most of their vehicles from the factory.

 

[sailor]

Take it in for brakes & they'll tell you that they're needed more often than not.

Slam those seriously hard stops as Corv suggested & you could have them last a lot longer. Half measures on that won't make much difference once you have some seriously glazed & squealing.

 

[Elizabeth]

I am one who refuses to be suckered with the 'need rotors' BS.
The only reason rotors might be replaced is if they are heat cracked from hard use. Or worn past the minimum thickness.
(neither of which the op has)
So they want to replace your rotors to make money. IMO totally.

I say replace the pads. ... If you do not want to do the hard stopping needed. (and IMO a hard stop at 45mph is NOT gonna heat up the brakes to clean them.)
You need an empty freeway, (Sunday morning 5AM) and stops from 65 or 70 mph HARD stops.. You do not have to come to a complete stop. Just down hard from 70 or so to 30ish.. several times.. The brakes should actually fade IF you are doing it hard enough.. And then keep it up. more times..
When you find your brakes seem to be not working. THAT is the moment the gases are hot enough burning off the junk on your brake pads..
Anyway. I used to run up to 130mph and then slam on the brakes to clean them off on my Contour SVT.(yes hit the brakes as hard as my little foot could press at 130mph.. The car is NOT gonna explode or turn upsidedown.. If it is too hard then antilock will kick in.. not a problem)
130 down to say 40ish.. a few times.. (I already have had plenty of scoffers, Who cares, it works)
Worked great. You do not need that sort of speed. but then it will take a bit longer..

A few stabs at the brakes are not enough at 45mph.. Keep doing it more times..
They will clean up if you use them harder.

Rotors with score marks mean NOTHING. that is not a problem. Except for your wallet and smiling mechanics making money.
New brake pads will set in after a few days to any scored rotor and work fine/perfectly.

Yeah I am ranting.. this is one of my pet peeves...
Brakes are so oversold to people who think 'safety' and trust mechanics to help them when in fact they are just being fleeced in the name of 'safety'.
It take ten minutes to swap disc brake pads.. And look what they charge .. IMO they feel they have to invent stuff to make it seem like it is a big deal.. like working on the rotors.. Insane. [gunfire]

 

[CorvZ061]

The method I recommended, including the 45-55 part is directly from stoptech. Brembo and wilwood both have very similar recommendations. If they say 45-55 is enough then I tend to believe them. Also where in the US is it legal and/or safe to slam on the brakes at 130? That just sounds reckless.

 

[FordServiceCA]

...The 2nd dealer advised me that I have really bad glazing on the rear brakes and my rotors are shot in the front. With this said, I need a brake service for the rear and need new rotors or have the rotors resurfaced on the front. They then quoted me $500 for new rotors and pads on the front and then told me they "may" be able to do the service for the rear at no charge if I paid for new rotors.

I am confused.....The 1st dealer didn't mention anything about rotors being shot or anything about my brakes being glazed. On top of that, the 1st dealer charged me $200 to have the brakes service done which didn't help. Now Im wondering what the brakes service at the 1st dealer even included? Also, my car is highway driven so I barely use the brakes. Is the 2nd dealer telling me my rotors wore out in just over a year???? My old 2003 Focus ZX3 and my G8 GT brakes lasted much longer and I would assume the brakes in the ST would be of higher quality...

I see how this would be frustrating, trelaflip. Please check your PM for more updates.

Kwasi

 

[sailor]

Nice "rant", & all too accurate.

I ended up slapping new pads in a Ford Probe the morning of the Wedding day, took about a half hour total with borrowed tools & garage. (BTW - my brakes made noise comment the night before made it necessary)

That car ate pads more than average but it was a one bolt job to remove ONE caliper bolt & swing it up out of the way, press in the piston, swap pads & reassemble. Easiest front brake job possible.

 

[GronkDaSlayer]

You might as well replace the pads.
I had some pagid RS14 on my other car and while it was still street legal I would drive to go to work sometimes and the pads squealed so badly that it was embarrassing

At the track though, nothing. Evidently I had a lot of hard braking times and honestly, when driving in the streets after a track day, pads were still squealing.

Fortunately, I changed those pads after a couple thousand miles since they were gone. They also cracked my rotors. Since the I switched to CF pads. Hawks are supposed to be decent too.

 

[GT182]

Just saw this and bumped it up with a solution.

Trelaflip, if the rotors are making the car wobble/pulsate when you stop it's from warped rotors. You can't miss it.... it lets you know. LOL Been there with my Jeep GC. The best fix is new rotors. Turning them only solves the problem if they're warped bad enough and it starts all over again.

What are you using for brake pads?

Here's what happened to my 2014 SE Hatchback. Bought it with 17,000 miles on it back on May 1st of 2015. When we'd stop, all the time not just once in a while, the grinding noise sounded like the front end was coming apart. I looked at the rotors and they were scored super bad. Looked like someone had taken something sharp and grooved them all.... center out to the rotor's edge. The dealer's head of the Service Dept. said nothing was wrong with them, "it's just rust". He even drove it and said nothing was wrong, "it's just rust, it was normal'. Rust my a** I told him. They wouldn't do a thing, so I left. I called Ford and got the ok to go to another Ford dealer, and said I'd we'd never return to the one we bought the car from. The new dealer looked at the rotors and turned them all... right on the car, but no pad change. No charge. Two days later they started to groove again. I pulled the pads up front and found ceramic pads. They were grooved too. So off I went to my buddies auto parts store and they looked at the pad. Problem caused by.... the ceramic pads. They're chamfered on both ends. They sit in the calipers with one end sitting straight up. This lets all the road dust and anything the tiers kick up settle into the chamfered end up top. This is causing the grinding you hear, and the scoring of the rotors.

The solution I used. Get semi-metallic pads and replace all the pads with them. No more grinding or scoring of the rotors. Brakes are great and work as they should. There's is no chamfered ends so nothing gets caught and run thru to score the rotors.

Never drive with scored rotors. It's just asking for trouble. And in some states the inspection stations could fail your inspection.

 

[felixthecat]

The ST's need a bbk as does the later 150's, you pay for a enough for a st, Ford should have delivered w/ bigger brakes + using the brakes for a faux diff, come on Ford & step up.