Problems with 2002 Ford F-150 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150. the contact stated that flames were emitting from the engine compartment. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the brake switch melted, causing damage to the master cylinder. as a result, the master cylinder assembly needed to be replaced as well as the wiring harness and a brake repair kit. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised the contact that they would contact her at a later date. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 106,673.

Both the rear spring shackles as well as the brake lines have failed on my 02 ford f150 due to rust and this is a common concern. i am a senior master technician for ford and we repair these on a regular basis due to rust. both are clear safety concerns when they fail and should be addressed. and with the ford windstar axles and subframes being covered by a recall due to rust i do not understand why other rust related safety concerns are not recalled. if one rust related concern is recalled then all others should be as well, it should be all or none. on the rear spring shackles, they will snap in half and the rear eyelet of the leaf spring jams into the bottom of the truck bed, with the bed being the only thing keeping major damage or an accident from happening. on the front brake lines, the rust and swell up under the rubber part of the line where the lower steel line is inserted into the rubber. on hard brake application the line blows and you lose front brakes. both are common concerns on trucks in new england where rust is a part of life. if i wasn't a tech that drives vehicles with failed brakes and broken suspensions on a regular basis, both of these failures could have caused a major accident and likely injuries. *tr

The car was stopping to drop off mail at a mailbox. the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. inspection revealed brake fluid on the gas tank. a rusted brake line was the cause. dealer replaced the line at cost of $511.95 including brake fluid flush. the rear brake line was replaced. it runs from the front to the back.

The rear fuel tank strap on my 2002 ford f 150 rusted through causing the tank to come loose. the rust was so bad that there was also a small hole in the fuel tank. i have taken the truck in for repairs and after the tank was removed it was discovered that the brake lines above the tank were also rusted with one starting to leak. *tr

2002 ford f-150 complete brake failure. ford is not owning up to defective parts, needs to be recalled and public apology made for endangering of their customers. internet search results in hundreds of similar occurrences. *tr

Mid vehicle frame location brake line burst due to rusting out while backing an rv into a camping site. lost all braking fluid and brakes. had just completed traveling two hours on interstate highways towing a 3,500 lb. trailer. i was very lucky that failure occurred while backing the trailer at almost no speed and parking brake stopped the truck. decided to report this failure after vehicle was just recalled due to rusting gas tank straps. frame of vehicle is badly rusting and ford must do more to prevent frame and undercarriage components from rust out due to winter driving conditions..

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f150. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 05v388000 (vehicle speed control). a harness was installed, but it did not remedy the harness and vehicle speed control switch failures because there was no leak at the time. currently, brake fluid is leaking around the switch from the master cylinder and the cruise control. the dealer and manufacturer stated that they previously repaired the cruise control switch, but the contact disagrees. the dealer agrees that it needs to be repaired currently; however, the contact would be responsible for the expenses. the failure mileage was 140,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 f150 pickup truck. while performing routine maintenance on his vehicle he found chips of metal and pitting on the front rotor. it is tearing the tread on the front tires, and tore up the inside pad. when you stopped the vehicle, it was pulsing as though you had a flat tire. the current and failure mileages were 79,000. updated 07/10/08. *lj updated *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150. while stopped at a traffic light, the brakes failed. the contact had to depress the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle. he discovered brake fluid leaking from the center between the rear wheels. the vehicle was towed to the mechanic and they stated that the emergency brake cable was rubbing against the normal brake line, causing the cable to fail. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer took a complaint and forward it to the proper office. the current and failure mileages were 148,000. updated 02-14-08. *kb

While driving at approximately 55 mph, the 2002 ford f150 power adjustable foot pedals ( gas and brake) randomly engaged causing the vehicle to instantly increase speed. a new brake pedal assembly #3l3z*2455*ba was installed to correct the failure. *tr

On august 24, 2006, my passenger-side, front, lower caliper mounting bracket bolt backed itself out. this happened at a lower speed (about 20-25 mph) and so there were no injuries involved (especially since i had three passengers in the vehicle). but, when this happened it gouged the inside of the wheel (a factory wheel) and caused it to instantly deflate the tire as i came to a stop. i ended up having to replace the wheel, the rotor and the brake pads to fix the damage. on october 18, 2006, while traveling nothbound on i-25, just north of exit 158, i heard a "popping" sound and felt as if i had run over a rock. i then took exit 161, and while traveling about 25-30 mph, and stopping, my front, driver's-side, tire suddenly exploded from a huge gash in the sidewall. i was towing a 8'x10' flatbed trailer with some tools loaded on it. when i was able to get out of the traffic lanes, i removed the tire and the entire wheel had split in two. i also discovered that again, the lower caliper mounting bracket bolt had backed itself out. i had to have the vehicle towed and the tow truck driver told me that he knew of this happening to other people after they had their ford pickup brakes worked on. he said that it is not a problem, that he knew of, when the vehicles come from the factory, only after the brakes have been worked on. i had to replace the wheel, the tire, the steering knuckle, the rotor and the pads. we ended up replacing the lower bolts and putting locktight on the bolts (this was the recommendation from the tow truck driver and my mechanic). we did save the damaged parts. after the first incident my mechanic checked the tech service bulletins and did not find any bulletins from ford re: this issue. i also spoke to the parts service rep at phil long ford (colorado springs, co) and he told me that he knew about this issue, that it was actually quite common, but that ford had not issued a bulletin about this. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the caliper bracket bolts unscrewed on their own. the service dealer replaced the bolts. also, the serpentine drive belt fractured while traveling 50 mph, and caused the engine to overheat, and loss of steering control.

The brake pedal stopped moving when actuating the adjustable pedals. the accelerator pedal moves so there is no step over height difference between the pedals. with the pedals being at the same height position there is no way to differentiate between them or step on both at same time. *jb

Consumer complaint concerning 2002 f150 supercrew brake pedal bent causing the consumer to not fully stop. *ts ***nar**** the consumer was involved in an accident as a result of not being able to stop the vehicle. (lawyer on behalf of consumer) *jb

Abs system malfunctioned code reported by service tech was c-10-95 and stated that i would need to replace the hydraulic control unit. failure occurred at only 17,500 mile on the unit. *jb

(1) without warning the brake light came on due to a failure of a hydraulic control unit, which would have ultimately lead to a failure of the abs system if it weren't for the awareness of the driver. the failure of the abs could have lead to an even greater catastrophe than just the cost of parts and labor. (2) it is my understanding through my research and the word of the service department at bozeman ford dealership in bozeman, montana that this particular problem is not unheard of. in fact, it has become enough of a problem that ford has made an attempt to correct the problem, by replacing the old hydraulic control unit with another hydraulic control unit, in addition to an electronic control unit and a bracket that mounts the two together. although ford has made an attempt to resolve the problem, they have not made any strides in issuing a recall for the faulty hcu. instead of replacing a $300 part (which isn't even manufactured any more) three new parts are to be installed a price of nearly $1000 including labor. (3) the truck is currently at the dealership being repaired, and apparently we will be stuck with the entire cost of the larger figure above, simply because ford does understand that there is in fact a problem with the hcu, but fails to accept any responsibility for it, by refusing to place the part under warranty or issuing a recall a the sub-par hydraulic control unit.

Dt: consumer was emergency braking and had to yield to an emergency vehicle but brakes would not engage or stop the vehicle. this braking situation had been witness and verified by 2 experts with no known verified cause. inspections have concluded that all current parts were within manufacturing specifications and guidelines. this was the only incident with brakes. drove vehicle home, parked it , and took it to repair shop the next day. *ak

The wire that was connected to abs pump motor became corroded. as a result, the abs system malfunctioned. the cause has yet to be determined. *ak

The front brake rotors are so warped that when applying the brakes the front of the vehicle shakes, and the vehicle is difficult to control. owner contacted the manufacturer , and was informed that what the driver was experiencing was normal. *ak

Consumer complained that the brake light flashed while driving. two dealers were notified. first dealer informed consumer that the terminal connector to the master brake cylinder needed to be replaced. the second dealer claimed that the problem pertained to a loose terminal connection to the master brake cylinder sensor. *ak

While driving at 35 mph there was a loud pop from the compartment. consumer proceeded to pull of the highway when the pop noise started getting worse. vehicle was then towed to a dealership, who indicated that the master cylinder head needed to be replaced because the spark plug split off the head. *ak

Concerns with blind spots on right side where the mirror and handgrip are in a line as well as location of the brake and gas pedals. *mr this seemed to be a factor in several traffic incidents, the consumer had several emergency stops several times in which the consumers foot had come down on the brake and gas pedals and seemed to only happen in emergency situations when the consumers foot would shoot down. *sc *jb

Passenger door would open while vehicle was moving. *ph the consumer also stated that the vehicle vibrated while driving. the consumer mother-in-law fell while trying to get into the front passengers side door of the truck. the brakes would lock up intermittently. *nm

Concerns regarding the ford f150 2002 gas and brake pedal. *mr the consumer was able to correct the foot placement and avoided serious consequences. in emergency situations, the consumers foot shot down, per reflex, but the pedals did not match the placement of the consumers foot which had come down on both the gas and brake pedals. *sc *jb

While driving 55 mph consumer applied the brakes, for a bump on the highway. a clicking noise was heard coming from underneath the dashboard. abs braking system disengaged. causing loss of braking power. consumer released the brake pedal. then reapplied the brakes in order to stop. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the abs modular needed to be replaced. *ak

Vehicle has a gap on driver's side door over the top. the gap causes noise inside the cabin of the vehicle while driving. it makes it hard to keep the vehicle on the road. manufacturer was contacted with no results.*ak the dealer installed a rubber sealer around the gap but this seemed to cause more noise. the radio, cd player and tv in the rear of the van stopped working. the rotors warped and caused vibrations when braking. water had gotten into the left side park lamp. the seat belt warning chime and light failed intermittently, the dealer replaced the module. *nm