2004 Ford Mustang SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

BRAKE LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT INTERMITTENT..THEN ON CONSTANTLY...HASN'T BEEN FIXED TOO EXPENSIVE...IN WET WEATHER, SLIPPERY, ICY WEATHER TIRES SPIN BECAUSE TRACTION CONTROL DOES NOT WORK...ABS CONTROL MODULE WENT BAD...THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BLOGS AND FORUMS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS PART...I WILL POST THIS WEBSITE WITH HOPES THEY ALL COMPLAIN! *TR

2004 FORD MUSTANG REAR BRAKE CALIPER/PISTON FAILURE. THE FAILURE RESULTED IN A NEAR FIRE ON THE RIGHT REAR OF THE VEHICLE. END RESULTS IN REPLACEMENT OF THE ROTOR, CALIPER, AND BRAKE PADS. THE LEFT REAR BRAKE SYSTEM WAS UNAFFECTED. *TR

2004 FORD MUSTANG GT CONVERTIBLE. FRONT RIGHT BRAKE FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK AT 5:00 AM THE PAVEMENT WAS DAMP FROM RAIN I TRIED TO APPLY THE SERVICE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO EXITING FROM ONE FREEWAY TO THE OTHER. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE FROM THE RIGHT FRONT AND A SCRAPING NOISE. I TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AGAIN AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. AS I WAS DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, I DOWN SHIFTED INTO THE NEXT LOWER GEAR WHERE THE REAR OF THE CAR SPIN OUT AND ACROSS 4 LANES OF THE FREEWAY I WAS TRYING TO ENTER AND INTO THE MEDIAN STRIP. AS AN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER I BEGAN THE INVESTIGATION AT THE SCENE. WHAT I FOUND WAS AS FOLLOWS: THE RETAINING BOLTS FOR THE BRAKE CALIPER FAILED CAUSING THE BRAKE CALIPER TO FALL OFF AND HANG BY THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSE. ONCE THE BRAKE CALIPER WAS LOOSE, THE PISTONS WERE FORCED OUT OF THEIR BORE BY THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE THEREFORE CAUSING THE PEDDLE TO GO TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 24622 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAS NOT HAD BRAKE SERVICE HOWEVER THE CALIPERS WERE SPRAY PAINTED (NOT REMOVED) BLACK TO PREVENT CORROSION AND FAILURE DUE TO BEING STORED OUTSIDE DURING THE WINTERS. BECAUSE THE CALIPERS HAVE BEEN PAINTED THE SERVICE MANAGER HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR AS HE FEELS THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN TAMPERED WITH. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE FURTHER AND FOUND THAT THE BOLTS AND CALIPER ASSEMBLY ARE INVERTED DELTA SAFETY RELATED COMPONENTS AND THE BOLTS SHOULD HAVE LOCK PATCH (THREAD LOCKING) TO PREVENT THEM FROM BACKING OUT. I ALSO LEARNED FROM SOURCES WITHIN FORD THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE ACROSS THE VEHICLE OFFERINGS FROM FORD AS THERE WERE COST REDUCTIONS THAT MODIFIED THE PARTS AND THE SUPPLIER FOR THE COMPONENTS CHANGED. THE VEHICLE IS IN STORAGE RIGHT NOW AND AVAILABLE FOR YOUR REVIEW. *JB

DT: 2004 FORD MUSTANG. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 15-20 MPH THE BRAKES DID NOT LET GO, THE ROAD WAS WET. THIS HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 22,2005. VEHICLE HIT A CURVE, NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE CONSUMER STATED THIS HAS HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE. THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER,AND VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN REPAIR SHOP BEING FIXED. DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER THEY WERE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM FORD. THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL FORD CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BACK. THERE WAS PROPERTY DAMAGE TO VEHICLE, INCLUDING RIMS, FRONT BUMPER, AND ALIGNMENT. *AK

REAR BRAKES GRAB AND GRIND IF WET, WORSE IN REVERSE. *AK

REAR BRAKES 2004 MAKES A NOISE WHEN WET IDLE IS TO HIGH WHEN YOU PUSH IN CLUTCH. *JB