Hey guys, I have a 2015 F150 that is having some brakes issues that I need some help diagnosing. I’ll give some backstory and what I’ve done this far.

Backstory. Long of the short. I was driving home one night and I could hear my front driver side tire growling. When I got home I discovered that there was abnormal wear and tear on the rotor from the brakes. Specifically the top 1” of the rotor. The rotor was also extremely hot. The next day on the way to my mechanic I noticed the growl was most noticeable while stopping and speeds up to around 20-30mph. I had the pads and rotors on both sides up front replaced. When I picked up my pickup and was headed home I noticed something still wasn’t quite right. When I got home I found that BOTH sides were now extremely hot and that the brakes were dragging.

I should also add that my dad has had the exact same issue with his 2015 F150. Driver side, abnormal wear, growling, hot rotor. He replaced the rotor, brake pads, and caliper and it didn’t fix the issue.

Below I’ll list what I’ve done trying to locate the problem.
- lifted truck up and tried to turn the tires by hand with both the pickup off and in neutral. Both sides had lots of resistance both times.
- checked to see if pads were installed correctly. They were.
- bled and primed brakes. fluid looked good
- checked fluid level in master cylinder. Seemed good
- disconnected any electrical sensor or connection that dealt with braking. Gently cleaned with air. Reconnected. No difference
- disconnected brake hose at both the caliper and brake line. (One at a time) (two different tests) I read that testing these two things on each side so allow you to move the caliper easily to disengage the brakes. Both times on both sides required some decent prying to get the caliper to move. Wouldn’t classify it as easy.

Anything I did listed above was null and void once I started the pickup and pressed on the brakes. The brakes would clamp down on the rotor and wouldn’t let go.

So guys that’s where I’m at. I’m pretty stumped since both sides are now dragging and getting hot after getting the new hardware when only one side was an issue before that. I have a hard time believing that it’s a caliper issue due to my
dads experience. But I could be wrong! So maybe vacuum pump? Brake booster? Master cylinder? Brake hose?

I’d appreciate any and all insight or if someone has had this issue before. Thanks!!

Also, if it matters. The pickup is a 2015-F150-4WD-Supercrew cab-Long box- 3.5 V6 TT

 

Do the caliper slides (pins) move freely?

May have installed new pads and rotors, but if the caliper(s) are sticking then the original problem remains.

For example. Remove the whole caliper, unbolt it. Remove the rotor. Bolt the caliper back on, no rotor. Now grab with your hands and slide the caliper pieces back/forth. Should be easy to move by hand. If not, then service; clean, lubricate, replace the slide pins and bushings.

(do NOT push the brake pedal at any time while doing this check)

 

Sometimes the rubber brake hoses can deteriorate inside and create a check valve like situation, when you hit the brakes the fluid can apply the brakes, but can't get back very well causing the brakes to drag.

 

Crack open the bleeder screw. If the brake frees up, look towards a brake hose holding back the fluid. If it doesn't, you have a seized caliper and/ or slides.