NHTSA Complaint #10157269 — 2005 FORD F-150

AT 20,000 MILES I TOOK MY 2005 F150 SUPERCREW XLT 4X4 INTO FIRESTONE, TO HAVE THE BRAKES CHECKED. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE PADS, AS I STILL HAD ABOUT 65-70% LEFT ON THEM. HOWEVER THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE ROTORS. HE STATED THEY WERE WARPED. KNOWING THIS IS NOT NORMAL, I ASKED IF THIS WAS A COMMON THING ON THE NEW MODEL FORDS. AND HE STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF THEM IN FOR THE EXACT SAME THING, WARPED ROTORS. I TOLD HIM TO PUT THE TRUCK BACK TOGETHER AND WOULD TAKE TO FORD. HE STATED THAT THE REASON THEY WERE WARPING, WAS BECAUSE OF A DESIGN DEFECT WHICH DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO GET ENOUGH AIR TO COOL, AND IF BRAKES WERE APPLIED HARD, THEN CAUSED THEM TO WARP. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO FORD DEALERSHIP ( JENKINS AND WYNNE IN CLARKSVILLE, TN.) INFORMED THE SERVICE WRITER. AS I WAS SPEAKING TO HIM, A TECH FROM THE SHOP WALKED IN, AND SAID THERE WAS A BIG PROBLEM WITH THEM. THEY TOOK MY TRUCK INTO THE SHOP, AND AFTER A DAY INFORMED ME THAT MY TRUCK HAD THE "NEW AND IMPROVED BRAKES" ALREADY INSTALLED. I ASKED HOW THEY COULD BE NEW AND IMPROVED IF DOING THE SAME AS THE OLD STYLE. THEY STATED THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF ME. WHEN I INQUIRED AS TO THE HOW? THE SERVICE WRITER STATED " WE WILL MACHINE THEM." I TOLD HIM THAT JUST MEANS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GRIND THE ROTORS FLAT, AND THAT IT WASN'T FIXING THE ISSUE. I WOULD JUST HAVE TO HAVE A COMPLETE TOTAL BRAKE REPLACEMENT AT 40,000 MILES. HE COMMENTED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I ASKED IF THIS WAS NORMAL FOR TRUCKS TO BE COMING IN WITH WARPED ROTORS AT 20,000 MILES, AND HE JUST SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS. I ASKED HIM, WHAT ARE WE AS TRUCK OWNERS SUPPOSED TO DO, REPLACE THE ROTORS EVERY 30-40,000 MILES. AGAIN HE JUST SHRUGGED AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. AFTER THEY GROUND THE ROTORS, AND PUT THE TRUCK BACK TOGETHER, LESS THAN 500 MILES THEY STARTED DOING THE SAME THING, AND I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. THEY WILL "PULSE AND THE VEHICLE WILL LURCH" *JB