2000 Ford Excursion Brakes Problems

2000 FORD EXCURSION WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES, WELL MAINTAINED AND ORIGINAL OWNER. BRAKES FAILED WHEN REAR BRAKE LINE BURST ON THE FRAME RAIL WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES TO SLOW, THIS WAS NOT A PANIC STOP WHICH WOULD INDUCE A HIGH PRESSURE IN THE LINE. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A SAFE STOP AND WAS PERPLEXED BY THIS FAILURE. THERE WAS NO EARLY WARNING OF THIS FAILURE AND IN FACT THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER TWO DAYS PRIOR FOR OIL CHANGE AND NEW BATTERIES AND NO MENTION OF LOW BRAKE FLUID OR LEAK IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM. AFTER CONSULTING WITH LOCAL REPAIR FACILITIES THEY STATE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, I DO NOT BELIEVE A VEHICLE THAT IS PROPERLY MAINTAINED SHOULD HAVE A SUDDEN AND CATASTROPHIC BRAKE LINE FAILURE THAT IS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD AND I'M SURE THERE MUST BE ACCIDENTS RELATED TO SIMILAR VEHICLES. *TR

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THE VEHICLE RATTLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE FIRST TIME THE FRONT ROTORS HAD TO BE TURNED. SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES LATER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. THIS TIME IT WAS THE REAR WHEEL ROTORS. THE ROTORS WERE TURNED. THE THIRD TIME HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER HAVE IT SERVICED. THIS TIME THE BRAKE PADS, AND ROTORS WERE TURNED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD HIM IT WAS THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM, THE ROTORS WERE TOO SMALL FOR THE BRAKE SYSTEM. ALL REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AT THE CONTACTED EXPENSE. *AK UPDATED 1/19/2006 - THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED WHICH CAUSED PULSATION WHILE BRAKING. *NM

FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS WARP UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS RESULTS IN EXTREMELY VIOLENT SHUDDERING AND SHAKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE BRAKING AT SPEEDS OVER 40 MPH. RAPID BRAKING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS ARE HIGH RISK FOR LOSS OF CONTROL AND COLLISION. I BOUGHT THIS EXCURSION USED WITH ~48,000 MILES AND HAVE HAD THE ROTORS RESURFACED AT ~ 60, 000 AND 84,000 MI. AT 93,000 MILES I HAD TO REPLACE ALL 4 ROTORS BECAUSE OF REPEATED SHUDDERING FROM ROTOR WARPAGE AND WEAR WHICH COST ME OVER $500 ON TOP OF THE $400 I SPENT AT 84,000 MILES FOR A BRAKE JOB. SIX MONTHS AND 14,000 MILES LATER I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND NOW THE DEALER TELLS ME THERE IS A FORD SERVICE BULLETIN RECOMMENDING A NEW TYPE OF PAD. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THEY HAVE FOUR OTHER EXCURSION OWNERS THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME COMPLAINTS AND SAFETY CONCERNS REQUIRING SIMILAR REPAIRS. THE FRONT ROTORS ARE INSUFFICIENTLY ENGINEERED FOR THE SIZE AND WEIGHT OF THIS VEHICLE, AND PRESENTS A SAFETY RISK FOR EXCURSION OWNERS AS WELL AS SURROUNDING MOTORISTS. FORD KNOWS THEY HAVE A PROBLEM BUT INSTEAD OF DOING THE RIGHT THING AND FIXING IT THEY ARE BLEEDING CONSUMERS FOR REPAIRS OF A FAULTY DESIGN WHILE THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT. *NM

VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE. I WAS IN THE GARAGE AT THE TIME. BEGAN SMELLING BURNING ELECTRICAL SMELL. FOUND WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT, INCREASING DRAMATICALLY IN VOLUME. IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, THE SMOKE WAS A SOLID CURTAIN COMING FROM THE GAP BETWEEN THE HOOD AND DRIVER SIDE FRONT FENDER. OPENED HOOD AND FOUND AN ELECTRICAL SWITCH ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM MASTER CYLINDER CREATING THE SMOKE. USING A RAG I PULLED THE SWITCH AWAY FROM THE CYLINDER AND IT WAS MELTED IN HALF. THE PART OF THE SWITCH CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRICAL WIRE CONTINUED TO SMOKE. I DISCONNECTED THE REMAINING PIECE OF THE SWITCH FROM THE WIRE AND IT STOPPED SMOKING BUT EVERYTHING WAS HOT.

THE REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER DOES NOT OPERATE DUE TO THE SPRING. ALSO, THE BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY DUE TO THE BRAKE ROTORS. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP ACCORDINGLY.*AK

WHILE BRAKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE LEFT/RIGHT AND SHIMMIED INTERMITENLLY. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

CONSUMER STATED BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. THIS PART WAS REPLACED EIGHT TIMES. AS A RESULT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED VIOLENTLY. *AK

BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. THE PART WAS REPLACED NINE TIMES. AS A RESULT, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED VIOLENTLY. *AK

PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED WITH BRAKES ON 2000 FORD EXCURSION. *BF A SQUEALING AND CLUNKING NOISE COULD BE HEARD WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE HAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT THE DEALER REFUSES TO REPAIR THE PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER HAS REPLACED THE ROTORS (TWICE), PADS AND OTHER COMPONENTS. *NM

THE FRONT ROTORS WERE BADLY WARPED AT 18,000 MILES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ROTORS UNDER WARRANTY, BUT ARE WARPED AGAIN AT 23,000 MILES. POOR DESIGN AND A SAFETY HAZARD. *LA

THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR AN INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT BOTH FRONT ROTORS CRACKED. THE CONSUMER HAD THE ROTORS REPLACED. *AK THE CONSUMER HAD CONTINUOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES AND ROTORS. *JB

VEHICLE PULLS LEFT WHILE BRAKING, AND PAINT IS PEELING IN THE WHEEL WELLS.*MR THE PROBLEM WAS CONFIRMED BY THE DEALER'S TECHNICIAN WHO MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE COST THE CONSUMER DECIDED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP CORRECTED THE PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER RECOMMENDED BUT THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHO EXPLAINED THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE COSTLY. THE CONSUMER LATER RECEIVED A SERVICE BULLETIN (03-19-10 DATED SEPTEMBER 9, 2003) WHICH WAS IN REFERENCE TO A BRAKING PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER DOES NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *NM

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND . ALSO, BRAKE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITH NO WARNING BRAKE ROTORS WORE OUT, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

WHEN APPLIED THE BRAKE AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATE. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

FRONT ROTORS CONTINUALLY WARPING REGARDLESS OF DRIVING HABITS. TURNED ROTORS TWICE IN LESS THAN 10,000 MILES AND REPLACED THEM ONCE. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER, IT WAS DUE TO THE ROTORS BEING TOO SMALL FOR SUCH A HEAVY VEHICLE. *JB

ROTORS WARPED AT 32,000 MILES, WARPED AGAIN AT 34,000, THEN AT 35,000, WARRANTIED TWICE. TRUCK WON'T GO MORE THEN A FEW THOUSAND MILES WITHOUT WARPING ROTORS MADE FIRST 32,000 ON FACTORY SINCE TRIED TWO DIFFERENT AFTERMARKET AFTER 4 FAILURES FROM FORD. MY DRIVING HASN'T CHANGED ONLY THE FRONT ROTORS. DT

CONCERNED ABOUT ROTORS NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AT 38,30 MILES AND BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED ALSO I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL BE ONGOING THING AND CONCERNED ABOUT MY FAMILYS SAFETY,HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU VERY SOON. *AK

EXTENDED BRAKING DISTANCES REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP WITHIN FIRST 20,000 KMS. IMPOSSIBLE TO INVOKE ANTILOCK PULSING ON HARD BRAKING ON DRY PAVEMENT. DEALER CHECKED FULL BRAKE SYSTEM AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. AFTERMARKET PADS IMPROVED THE PROBLEM. REPEATED WARPING OF ROTORS FOR THE FIRST 50-60,000 KMS, THEN MYSTERIOUSLY ONLY MINOR WARPING ON EXTENDED BRAKE USE. *TR

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS A SQUEAKING SOUND AND PULSATION. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK