Brake Rotor to Hub Corrosion Issue

A few weeks ago I assisted my neighbor in performing a brake job on his 2019 Expedition Max. I was surprised to find all 4 of his rotors to be rusted on to the hubs. He takes good care of his vehicles. The vehicle was garaged and driven almost exclusively in NC. I used a tried and true combination of Kroil and 1/2" grade 8 jack bolts through the caliper bracket holes in the spindles to pop the rotors off. We found the mating areas and the relieved areas between the hubs and rotors to be completely corroded. This on a truck without a spot of corrosion anywhere on the frame or suspension links. I wondered whether it had something to do with the fact that he frequently washes the truck, or what? We cleaned the hubs/rotors and applied nickel ant-seize for reassembly.

This past weekend my '20 Expedition was due for an oil change and tire rotation.....so, I checked my rotors. All 4 of my rotors were rusted on similarly. I used the same method to remove them successfully and remedy the problem.

This is NOT normal. While I've frequently experienced this when helping others to service their GM vehicles; I have never experienced it with any of my Ford vehicles until my '20 Expedition.

I'm posting this for three reasons: 1) To see if others have had the same experience. 2) To advise all Expedition/Navigator owners to remove their rotors at the earliest convenience to proactively remedy/prevent this issue on your truck 3) TO ALERT ANY KTP PVT OR OTHER PERSONNEL TO THE FACT THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS (IS STILL?) BEING APPLIED TO THE ROTOR/HUB JOINT IS PROMOTING SEVERE CORROSION IN THE FIELD.

Most likely just poor quality finish on the metal like everything today, cutting corners to save a penny.

I had the same exact problems. I've changed brakes on dozens and dozens of vehicles of all brands and these were by far the most seized I've ever seen (even a CJ front that hadn't been touched in like 10yrs). I used an 8lb sledge with 2x4's banging in rapid fashion top, bottom, left, right. And that's after soaking a bunch of components in pb blaster. it took a job that should have been 90-120 minutes and made it 3.5 hours. The rears weren't quite as bad, thank goodness on the back you don't have to remove the caliper bracket to remove the rotors. But those e-Brakes are a pain in the rear to work around.

I did the same thing and used high temp anti-seize compounds this time around. I think it's just incredibly poor finishes on the mating surfaces. I'm in a very dry climate (minus the snows) and I wash nearly weekly. Realistically, very little moisture should be getting in between those surfaces (unless there's warping) as that could easily cause imbalance issues, integrity issues, etc. Think of real salty water getting trapped between those two surfaces, not good.

I also found the massive front caliper mount bolts to be bears to get out. It was impossible to break them loose, especially given the lack of space in there and the fact that the steering rack would just rotate when you put enough force with a breaker bar, I had to rotate the rack by hand in each direction and get an impact gun on the bolts. Not generally how I like to do things but they wouldn't budge, hot, cold, soaked in PB.

It happens to all cars. Depends on the rotors used also. My X5 was really seized on even here in AZ.
I have not done this but the pro car guys put a small film of anti seize copper on the surface and it makes a world of difference. Same with the bolts.

I spent 23 years in Ford manufacturing and I've done brake jobs on lots of vehicles. This is NOT a finish issue, they're using some sort of lubricant or sealant or combination that is rapidly corroding the two parts, mostly the hubs. The fact that there was NO corrosion on the wheel to disc side despite the opportunity for dissimilar metal galvanic corrosion there on a joint which is exposed to more of the environment than the flange to disk joint means that it isn't exterior moisture related. The corrosion pattern was not uniform or symetrical, indicating the presence of a catalyst that wasn't applied evenly, or had settled out prior to assembly. My guess is that it is an environmentally safe, water based lubricant used to facilitate pressing the lugs into the flange, or the cartridge bearing assembly, that isn't removed prior to shipment to the assembly plant.

Just saying

5280tunage said:

I had the same exact problems. I've changed brakes on dozens and dozens of vehicles of all brands and these were by far the most seized I've ever seen (even a CJ front that hadn't been touched in like 10yrs). I used an 8lb sledge with 2x4's banging in rapid fashion top, bottom, left, right. And that's after soaking a bunch of components in pb blaster. it took a job that should have been 90-120 minutes and made it 3.5 hours. The rears weren't quite as bad, thank goodness on the back you don't have to remove the caliper bracket to remove the rotors. But those e-Brakes are a pain in the rear to work around.

I did the same thing and used high temp anti-seize compounds this time around. I think it's just incredibly poor finishes on the mating surfaces. I'm in a very dry climate (minus the snows) and I wash nearly weekly. Realistically, very little moisture should be getting in between those surfaces (unless there's warping) as that could easily cause imbalance issues, integrity issues, etc. Think of real salty water getting trapped between those two surfaces, not good.

I also found the massive front caliper mount bolts to be bears to get out. It was impossible to break them loose, especially given the lack of space in there and the fact that the steering rack would just rotate when you put enough force with a breaker bar, I had to rotate the rack by hand in each direction and get an impact gun on the bolts. Not generally how I like to do things but they wouldn't budge, hot, cold, soaked in PB.

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I picked up a 40" long 3/4" drive breaker bar at TSC for $29.99....one of the best tool buys I've ever made...have someone hold the steering wheel if possible while you use about 40 lbs force to break those caliper bracket bolts loose....It'll put a smile on your face....If you ever put rear shocks on....and have to torque the strut bolts to 408 ft lbs....add a 3/4" drive torque transducer for about $70 on Amazon and smile again.

ROBERT BONNER said:

I picked up a 40" long 3/4" drive breaker bar at TSC for $29.99....one of the best tool buys I've ever made...have someone hold the steering wheel if possible while you use about 40 lbs force to break those caliper bracket bolts loose....It'll put a smile on your face....If you ever put rear shocks on....and have to torque the strut bolts to 408 ft lbs....add a 3/4" drive torque transducer for about $70 on Amazon and smile again.

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408ft/lbs on any bolt on this chassis? Seriously? or is that a joke? You're in the neighborhood of grade 8 bolts to have the torsion resistance of 408ft/lbs and something tells me Ford doesn't want to invest in grade 5 let alone 8...

5280tunage said:

408ft/lbs on any bolt on this chassis? Seriously? or is that a joke? You're in the neighborhood of grade 8 bolts to have the torsion resistance of 408ft/lbs and something tells me Ford doesn't want to invest in grade 5 let alone 8...

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Yes, that's on the rear suspension. I changed out the rear shocks, and think I got close, but maybe not fully 400ftlbs.

sjwhiteley said:

Yes, that's on the rear suspension. I changed out the rear shocks, and think I got close, but maybe not fully 400ftlbs.

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This one! And to make it more difficult, they want the tire loaded when you torque it.