so everytime i hit the brakes my truck shakes like crazy..and it only does it when im going 40+ and lightly get on the brakes,but when i get on them harder it stops,ive had 3 different sets of tires and all the wheels are balanced so i know thats not it...any ideas? im taking her into the dealer tomorrow to have some other things checked (still under warranty) but just wanted to see if anyone else has this problem or might know what it is. Thanks

 

Since it only occurs when you start breaking, most likely your rotors are going bad. See if the rotors have any groves on them. If you replace the rotors, replace pads at the same time to extend the life of your break components. If it was balancing or something with the tire, you would feel all the time, especially when driving over 40mph.

 

Yup sounds like rotors to me too.

 

+1, for the rotors

 

I had, and to some varying degree occasionally still do, the same problem. I had to replace the pads and rotors and the one passenger side pad was completely gone (worn down to the metal backing. The other pad on that side was normal, and comparable in wear to the drivers sides. This indicated something was sticking with the front brakes, but I couldn't pinpoint it.

So, I replaced everything but the calipers, which made most of the issue go away, however like you, at about 40mph with slight brake pressure I still feel a slight vibe, but will go away with moderate to full brake pressure.

When researching front end vibrations on the F150 for 04+ it seems the front calipers at least use a ceramic piston that is stupid prone to cracking and chipping if not compressed correctly.

This I would assume would be the next part to inspect or replace (I should have replaced the calipers with the pads like I always do... but didn't this time for some reason) and I'm betting is the issue with the slight vibes with low pressure braking.


Like I said, the causes of the damage to the piston is from improper handling of the caliper when doing a brake job, but usually causes no major issues other than a slight vibe at low pressure braking.

Over time it could cause brake pad wear issues (which could have caused the pad issue I saw), but since I've done a complete brake job minus the new calipers I haven't noticed uneven wear with the new pads and rotors, but I still have a slight vibration from time to time as it's not always there when slightly braking from around that speed.



To sum it up, and avoid this issue, since you may have to swap rotors (which could be 100% of the problem) you might as well do the job right and do the complete replacement of rotors, calipers, and pads, as ideally you should replace them all when doing a brake job.

 

Possible warped rotars. Just have them turned. Shouldnt be that expensive. Mine do the same thing. My old 4Runner used to warp rotors all the time. Had to have them turned all the time.

 

I just went through the same situation my new rotors are stamped with only 1.5mm of allowable wear. Get new rotors and pads, once those are installed the vibration should go away. Don't make the mistake of getting the rotors turned it's a waste of money and time, 1.5mm is equal to 13 sheets of paper, per my caliper which isn't much to take out any ribbing on both sides of the rotors.

 

It is amazingly easy to warp rotors, even brand new ones. Tightening lug nuts in the wrong sequence is the number one cause of warped rotors. Tighten them in a criss cross or opposite lug nut pattern. Go thru the tightening process gradually. I go through the tightening process three times - tighten them a little at a time. Over torquing the lug nuts is the number two cause of warped rotors. I always under torque my lug nuts by 10 foot pounds and insist my installer use a torque wrench, not an air wrench. Mine calls for 150 pounds, I stop at 140. A panic stop, where maximum brake pedal pressure is applied, will also warp a rotor or create a hot spot on it. A hot spot causes a slight pulsing feel most noticeable during light braking. To avoid warping or creating a hot spot as a esult of a panic stop, always let the wheels roll 1/2 to 3/4 turn immediately after the vehicle stops. Really simple, but it works.

I never heard of the ceramic caliper problem. Please expand on this problem or direct me to an authoratative source where I can read up on it.

Thanks in advance for your response.

 

yep u need brakes and rotors
dont put new pads on unturned rotors or old pads on turned rotors

 

well took my truck to ford and they confirmed it..warped rotars and pads are almost in the "red zone"?! lol,normally i would just do it all myself but im just having ford machine all four rotars and put on new pads for a grand total of $430.00 yayyyyy lol