NHTSA Complaint #10070099 — 2000 FORD F SERIES

STRONG VEHICLE VIBRATION DURING BRAKE APPLICATION, ESPECIALLY DURING DOWN HILL BRAKING. CALLED CORNING FORD DEALERSHIP, WHERE I BOUGHT TRUCK NEW. THEY REFUSED TO HONOR ANY WARRANTY WORK ON BRAKE PROBLEMS WITH THAT MANY MILES ON TRUCK. CALLED CUSTOMER 800# - THEY ALSO REFUSED REPAIR COVERAGE. TOOK TRUCK TO SCHWAB TIRE IN REDDING, CA.( IT'S THIRTY+ MILES TO SCHWAB TIRE FROM MY HOME. IT?S ALMOST EIGHTY MILES ONE WAY TO CORNING FORD FROM MY HOUSE.)SCHWAB TELLS ME THAT VEHICLE VIBRATION ON BRAKE APPLICATION INDICATES WARPED ROTORS. AFTER FIVE TRIPS TO SCWAB TIRE FOR ROTOR TURNS, THEN COMPLETELY REPLACING ALL FOUR ROTORS....NOTHING STOPPED VIBRATION. BY NOW THE VIBRATION IS MUCH MORE SEVERE THAN WHEN IT FIRST STARTED. DURING THE WHOLE HISTORY, FROM 43,958 MILES TO THE PRESENT 74,762 THE VIBRATION/SHAKING HAS NEVER GONE TOTALLY AWAY. THE LAST THING SCHWAB DID WAS REPLACE ALL FOUR SETS OF BRAKE PADS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T NEED IT. BY THEN SCHWAB WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF IDEAS. I FINALLY TOOK THE TRUCK TO CORNING FORD, HOPING IT WAS POSSIBLY COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. IT WAS. CORNING FORD SERVICE MANAGER, STEVE LOWERY, SAT ME DOWN AND EXPLAINED TO ME WHAT WAS WRONG!!! FORD MOTOR CO. REFUSES TO ADMIT THEY HAVE A DESIGN FLAW IN THEIR BRAKE SYSTEM. CORNING FORD DOES NOT DENY THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING DESIGN. FIRST, THE BALL JOINTS WORE OUT. THEN, AND MORE IMPORTANT, THE PROBLEM IS THE FRONT WHEEL HUBS/BACKING PLATES ARE TOTALY SEALED AFTER ASSEMBLY. THERE ISN'T ANY WAY TO LUBRICATE/SERVICE THE BEARINGS AT REGULAR INTERVALS. THE SEALS EVENTUALLY DRY OUT AND THE BEARING LUBRICANT/GREASE SEEPS ON TO THE HUB ASSEMBLY ON ONLY THE INBOARD BRAKE PAD. THIS THEN MEANS THAT DURING BRAKE APPLICATION, THE INBOARD PAD IS SLIPPING AND ONLY THE OUTSIDE PAD IS APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE ROTOR. THE OUTSIDE ROTOR IS HAVING TO WORK HARDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND IS CREATING UNNECESSARY HEAT ON THE ROTOR, THUS WARPING THE ROTOR.