brake rotors already warped?

[dtholmanmax]

Hey guys

What's with the rotors on this thing? Got a '14EL with 26k and already feeling the rotors. They have already been turned once at like 10/15k...Everything I'm reading days oem rotors are the best but out seems ha believe. It's wife's dd so no towing

Interested in your thoughts and experience

 

[GAINMOB]

there's always a bad set in every bunch regardless of what it is

 

[thenaaks]

"Warped" is probably an inaccurate description of what's really wrong with your brakes. Pad material transfer is most likely the real culprit. Proper bedding-in of brakes and subtle driving habit changes will most likely prevent future problems.

 

[JUST4FUN]

over torquing of the lug nuts can also cause warped rotors

 

[montecarlo31]

Hey guys

What's with the rotors on this thing? Got a '14EL with 26k and already feeling the rotors. They have already been turned once at like 10/15k...Everything I'm reading days oem rotors are the best but out seems ha believe. It's wife's dd so no towing

Interested in your thoughts and experience

I'm interested in why you turned them at 10 and 12K miles? I'm also interested to know if they are within spec. I have never turned a set of rotors in my life, if they are warped which I've only had happen once in over 800K miles of driving, I just replace them. Typically I toss them every set of pads as new rotors are not that much, on these maybe 300 bucks for OE.

I'll second driver error most likely. Probably her first SUV or first large SUV?

 

[thenaaks]

Since when is $300 not much? I just replaced my rotors on my accord. Originals were getting a bit thin at 175k miles. They will last if you take care of them. Bedding in new pads on deglazed rotors is a step most people don't do. Then they will get the brakes really hot by slamming on the brakes at a red light, and hold the brake pedal tight to the floor while they're waiting. That's where most of your pad material transfer occurs. You can see the impression of the brake pad on the rotor 90 percent of the time there is excessive brake vibration (which most people call warpage).

 

[dtholmanmax]

They were turned originally by the dealer when I took out for warranty service due to excessive vibration during highest braking... The symptom is back again with excessive steering wheel shutter during braking at speed

 

[dtholmanmax]

But maybe you're right that warped isn't the correct term

 

[tonydiv]

Also, maybe a bit of recon is needed here. I suggest that you quietly observe your wife while she is driving. She may be one of those brake draggers. It happens.

 

[caylerman]

I'm interested in why you turned them at 10 and 12K miles? I'm also interested to know if they are within spec. I have never turned a set of rotors in my life, if they are warped which I've only had happen once in over 800K miles of driving, I just replace them. Typically I toss them every set of pads as new rotors are not that much, on these maybe 300 bucks for OE.

I'll second driver error most likely. Probably her first SUV or first large SUV?

I have the same issue and assure you it is not OE! Ford dealer only had 3 rotors in stock and I needed the vehicle the next day so I had them turned. Same price as new ones BTW. They were warped as I observed them turning them. It might be pad/rotor combination as well as having the impact gun set on "Hercules" when putting the lug nuts on, but something is happening to warp the rotors. I'm looking to replace the setup, see earlier post, with aftermarket so any suggestions are appreciated. I realize too that these are heavy vehicles. BTW, my daily driver is an 09 F150 with 90K miles and I've never had this issue.

 

[montecarlo31]

BTW, my daily driver is an 09 F150 with 90K miles and I've never had this issue.

You do realize what you just stated right?

 

[caylerman]

You do realize what you just stated right?

No, that I have a daily driver for the farm and drive an Expedition about 15% of the time and my wife driving it the other part of the time. And even then not 100% as we have another car.

 

[dtholmanmax]

Well, quick update here - we took it to the dealer & they machined the rotors again. They told my wife the same thing I had told her (more gently than I did) - that it's likely a result of "driving style" - aka, she's hard on the brakes - 80mph to 50 in heavy traffic & also pretty hard on them in city traffic.

Also - they're replacing the subwoofer that we've been complaining about as blown

 

[thenaaks]

The most important thing to NOT do is stand on the brake pedal after a hard stop. That's when pad material transfer occurs the most. I try to stop a few feet early and gently roll. Sometimes I'll put it in neutral and ease of the brake pedal as much as possible. This is especially important with new-ish pads.

 

[GaryH2]

If you really want to replace them I put Centric rotors and Hawk pads on my 07 EL. They solved a multitude of issues including the wheels corroding onto the rotors (drives me NUTS! )

I'm at 160k miles or thereabouts and the new pads and rotors firmed up the pedal as well.

 

[nauti1]

The best brakes I ever put on my expedition.
I had these on my 99 Eddie Bauer and now they are on my 07 el limited. No more warped rotors on either and the ceramic pads don't dust up the wheels.

 

[Charlesreg]

The brake rotors warping is a design weakness on the Ford Expeditions. I have a 2013 with 60,000 miles, and I have just had the 2nd time where the rotors warped such that when you brake hard at high speed, the steering wheel jumps so badly that you almost lose control of the vehicle. I had a previous Expedition (1997) and I had this same problem several times during the 175,000 miles I drove the vehicle. This (the warping) usually happened so quickly after the previous rotor-turning that I probably ignored the problem and drove the vehicle anyway while it had this problem because it is such a pain to go get it fixed. On my first vehicle, I was told (by a Ford service guy) that the design of the brakes is such that they couldn't put enough "meat" into the rotors to prevent them from overheating while braking such a heavy vehicle. Apparently in the 16 years since I owned my first Expedition, they have still not solved this problem. I am 65 years old and have owned a bunch of other vehicles; I don't recall ever having this problem (warped brake rotors) with any of my other vehicles.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

I have a 2015 Expedition Limited 4x4 - purchased new. The vehicle is used only for passenger use. I have never towed with it or hauled heavy cargo. Virtually all of the driving is done on suburban or rural county roads or state routes (very little stopping with extended driving). I do not live in a mountain area.

I began to get a strong shudder when applying the brakes at 40 mph or higher (gentle braking). I took it to the dealer last week. All four rotors were out-of-round and were machined on the vehicle - covered under warranty. The mileage was 27,***.

The oil change and tire rotation service has always been done at the selling dealer.

I have been driving for 40+ years and have never had rotors warp like this. I respect and take care of my vehicles and maintain them very well.

This was my first Ford and I'm very disappointed at the poor quality of the braking system components.

 

[GAINMOB]

For everything made... there will be a couple of bad ones here and there...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I have a 2015 Expedition Limited 4x4 - purchased new. The vehicle is used only for passenger use. I have never towed with it or hauled heavy cargo. Virtually all of the driving is done on suburban or rural county roads or state routes (very little stopping with extended driving). I do not live in a mountain area.

I began to get a strong shudder when applying the brakes at 40 mph or higher (gentle braking). I took it to the dealer last week. All four rotors were out-of-round and were machined on the vehicle - covered under warranty. The mileage was 27,***.

The oil change and tire rotation service has always been done at the selling dealer.

I have been driving for 40+ years and have never had rotors warp like this. I respect and take care of my vehicles and maintain them very well.

This was my first Ford and I'm very disappointed at the poor quality of the braking system components.

I agree that I would like to see larger diameter rotors with the new 20" diameter wheels, but the brakes are adequate for the job they are asked to do. The reality is that rotors don't really warp. They build deposits of brake shoe material on the surface of the rotor. This can be caused by a number issues.

Here are a couple of interesting articles:

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/why-do-brake-rotors-warp

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths