Rain = Pads stuck to rotors

[ThomF]

Unless you have an early 2021, I don't believe there is a TSB.

I found the TSB. It looks like it covers vehicles built "on or before 6-Jan-2022." Mine was built in July 2021, so it looks like it applies.

The TSB is 22-2023 issued 14Mar2022. It's available here: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10209201-0001.pdf

I may take my vehicle in to the dealer, when convenient. I think one of the rotors needs to be resurfaced, and the adjacent pad replaced.

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[MissyBenita]

I’m in Hawaii & i just encountered this issue after a season of rainy weather. Not realizing what the problem is & thinking my braking was compromised, I had the car towed into the dealer. I have since read more on this & believe this is totally the issue. The service writer also said the issue was the rotor getting rusty, but did not mention the brake pad issue. It was more like this is normal & nothing to be concerned about.

I’ve seen the TSB re: repair protocol, but this was not mentioned nor were the newer pads, etc. ordered for it. My concern is that aside from the conversation with the service writer, the paperwork from the mechanic said NPF (no problem found) & vibration/ticking sound could not be duplicated & sent the car home.

Initially, I did notice some material on my rotor that was not rust but was raised, bumpy & could be scraped off. I now believe this was from the brake pad, but not being aware of the issue & having never occurred on any other vehicle, I thought the issue was more serious. Nowhere was this acknowledged by the mechanic & I can’t understand why not. There is a noticeable discoloration on the rotor that is not related to surface rust, so not sure why it wasn’t addressed.

So, my questions are: 1) should the pads be changed or do I live with this? And do I wait until the issue presents itself again? 2) My husband believes that poor material quality is part of the problem. Has this been established or is this an EV issue? 3) And if the pads should be changed, how can I approach/convince the service dept. to do this considering the “nothing to see here” mindset. 4) Husband uses ceramic brake pads for his trucks. Anyone know the material used in the Mach-e, original & replacement ?

thank you all & really appreciate the resources/explanations offered.

 

[ThomF]

IMHO, I think you need to have the brake pads replaced--but it should be under warranty per the Technical Service Bulletin (22-2023).

 

[MissyBenita]

Thanks for your response.​

​

I agree with you on that. Unfortunately they attribute the cause to rust, not brake pad. Not knowing at the time (until I read up on it on this forum), I wasn't armed with the TSB info, so I had no intelligent to add to the conversation.

I‘m sad since I spent a total of 2 days dealing with this & no doubt this issue will crop up again.​

I know they must know the material was on the rotor since I saw it (not knowing what it was) when it got towed in & it couldn’t have been cleaned off by using the brakes on the way in. The rotor is still discolored (doesn’t seem consistent with rust), so I’m attaching a pic of that. Another pic of the front wheel as it was getting hooked up, but really hard to see since I was just taking vehicle condition pics, but I did notice it.

The first pic is after it came home & the rotor seemed cleaned up from my initial recollection. But you can still see a bit of residual material.

I’m just wondering if this is an issue of them not realizing the issue since it seems to be prevalent on models with a certain build date & they do have to be aware of all the different Ford models. This service dept. is way better than my former one & a lot farther away, so I’d like to keep the faith.

 

[ThomF]

Thanks for your response.​

​

I agree with you on that. Unfortunately they attribute the cause to rust, not brake pad. Not knowing at the time (until I read up on it on this forum), I wasn't armed with the TSB info, so I had no intelligent to add to the conversation.​

​

I‘m sad since I spent a total of 2 days dealing with this & no doubt this issue will crop up again.​

I know they must know the material was on the rotor since I saw it (not knowing what it was) when it got towed in & it couldn’t have been cleaned off by using the brakes on the way in. The rotor is still discolored (doesn’t seem consistent with rust), so I’m attaching a pic of that. Another pic of the front wheel as it was getting hooked up, but really hard to see since I was just taking vehicle condition pics, but I did notice it.

The first pic is after it came home & the rotor seemed cleaned up from my initial recollection. But you can still see a bit of residual material.

I’m just wondering if this is an issue of them not realizing the issue since it seems to be prevalent on models with a certain build date & they do have to be aware of all the different Ford models. This service dept. is way better than my former one & a lot farther away, so I’d like to keep the faith.

I'm not an expert, but it looks like the repairs resolved the immediate issue. Your braking should be effective, etc. But if you experience a recurrence, print out and bring along the TSB and make sure they replace the pads as well as renew the disks. IMHO, of course.

Tom

 

[BillPitman]

I’m in Hawaii & i just encountered this issue after a season of rainy weather. Not realizing what the problem is & thinking my braking was compromised, I had the car towed into the dealer. I have since read more on this & believe this is totally the issue. The service writer also said the issue was the rotor getting rusty, but did not mention the brake pad issue. It was more like this is normal & nothing to be concerned about.

I’ve seen the TSB re: repair protocol, but this was not mentioned nor were the newer pads, etc. ordered for it. My concern is that aside from the conversation with the service writer, the paperwork from the mechanic said NPF (no problem found) & vibration/ticking sound could not be duplicated & sent the car home.

Initially, I did notice some material on my rotor that was not rust but was raised, bumpy & could be scraped off. I now believe this was from the brake pad, but not being aware of the issue & having never occurred on any other vehicle, I thought the issue was more serious. Nowhere was this acknowledged by the mechanic & I can’t understand why not. There is a noticeable discoloration on the rotor that is not related to surface rust, so not sure why it wasn’t addressed.

So, my questions are: 1) should the pads be changed or do I live with this? And do I wait until the issue presents itself again? 2) My husband believes that poor material quality is part of the problem. Has this been established or is this an EV issue? 3) And if the pads should be changed, how can I approach/convince the service dept. to do this considering the “nothing to see here” mindset. 4) Husband uses ceramic brake pads for his trucks. Anyone know the material used in the Mach-e, original & replacement ?

thank you all & really appreciate the resources/explanations offered.

Print out the service TSB noted above. If dealer refuses, call BEV team at Ford.
Bill P

 

[Tronjo]

It looks like I also have the problem with a sticking park brake on '23 Premium. Happens after driving in rain (abundant in Vancouver ) and parking over night. Demonstrates the next morning as loud thud from the back (sometimes also from the front) at first move, like the brakes were stuck and there is a need of some movement to release them.
Is there a TSB addressing models 2023 and later? Does someone have a link to it?

 

[DomiinUS]

I experience the same sometimes - it seems like the wheels are blocked after parking some extended time, and release with the loud thud, also for me mostly from the back
'23 Premium, delivered January 2023

 

[Maquis]

It looks like I also have the problem with a sticking park brake on '23 Premium. Happens after driving in rain (abundant in Vancouver ) and parking over night. Demonstrates the next morning as loud thud from the back (sometimes also from the front) at first move, like the brakes were stuck and there is a need of some movement to release them.
Is there a TSB addressing models 2023 and later? Does someone have a link to it?

I experience the same sometimes - it seems like the wheels are blocked after parking some extended time, and release with the loud thud, also for me mostly from the back
'23 Premium, delivered January 2023

The TSB was for the case when pad material broke free and permanently bonded to the rotor. The condition where pads stick, but break free without destruction of the pad is not addressed.
After driving in hard rain, or a car wash, I simply shift to “N” when coming to a stop just before I get home. This uses the friction brakes enough to dry them out.

 

[nuMach]

for what its worth, I have a 2025 gt with just 300 miles on the odo. Was away for 2 weeks and the car sat in an open long term parking lot at the airport.
Rainy season here.
When I got back, the brakes were seized, and a loud clunk when I backed out as they broke free.
Moving forward, there was a thump thump thump as the wheels turned due to ???, but likely the spot where the pads sat.
Applying the brakes after speeding up a bit, cleared the thumping.
Work fine today.

Reading the posts in this thread, just saying its not resolved from a manufacturing point of view.

Had the breakaway clunk before on my 2022, but never the thumping as the wheels turned.

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