🔧 Fusion - Rear Brake Pads & Rotor Replacement

On your Fusion, replacing the rear brake pads and rotors means removing the rear calipers, swapping the rotors, and installing new pads/hardware. Because your Fusion uses a hybrid system and often has an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB), you must retract the EPB before pushing the caliper pistons back in.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 2.0-3.5 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Support the car with jack stands; never rely on a jack.
• ⚠️ If equipped with Electronic Parking Brake (EPB), retract it with a scan tool before compressing pistons (forcing it can damage the EPB actuator).
• ⚠️ Do not breathe brake dust—use brake cleaner, not compressed air.
• ⚠️ Keep the key/FOB away from the car while working so the EPB can’t auto-apply.
• ⚠️ Hybrid note: you’re not working on high-voltage parts, but avoid touching any orange cables/connectors.
• 🔋 Battery disconnect is not required for this job.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• Breaker bar 1/2"
• Torque wrench 1/2" (20-250 ft-lbs range)
• Socket set metric (13mm, 15mm, 18mm)
• Ratchet 3/8"
• Open-end wrench set metric (13mm, 15mm)
• Flathead screwdriver medium
• C-clamp 6"
• Brake caliper piston compressor tool (specialty)
• Brake caliper hanger hook (specialty)
• Wire brush
• Rubber mallet
• Ford-capable scan tool with EPB Service Mode (specialty)

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Rear brake rotors - Qty: 2
• Rear brake hardware kit (abutment clips + pad shims, if applicable) - Qty: 1
• Brake parts cleaner - Qty: 2 cans
• High-temperature silicone brake grease - Qty: 1
• Threadlocker (medium strength) - Qty: 1

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, set the front wheels with wheel chocks, and keep the steering straight.
• Make sure the parking brake is released.
• If your Fusion has EPB, put it into Brake Service Mode using a Ford-capable scan tool before lifting the car. (Service mode retracts the EPB motor so the pistons can be pushed in.)
• Loosen rear lug nuts slightly before lifting using a breaker bar and the correct lug socket.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Retract the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) (if equipped)

• Connect a Ford-capable scan tool with EPB Service Mode (specialty).
• Run the scan tool function to place the rear EPB into Service/Maintenance Mode (wording varies by tool).
• If you’re unsure, stop here and ask.

Step 2: Lift the rear and remove the wheels

• Lift the rear using a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) at the proper rear jack point.
• Set the car onto jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum).
• Remove the rear wheels using the ratchet and correct lug socket.

Step 3: Remove the rear caliper (do not hang by the hose)

• Turn the steering wheel is not needed for rear brakes; work from the rear wheel well.
• Remove the caliper slide/guide pin bolts using a ratchet and the correct metric socket (commonly 13mm on this platform).
• Hold the slide pin flats (if they spin) with the correct open-end wrench.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket and support it with a brake caliper hanger hook (specialty).

Step 4: Remove the brake pads and hardware

• Pull the inner and outer pads out by hand; use a flathead screwdriver medium gently if they’re stuck.
• Remove the pad abutment clips (hardware) from the bracket using the flathead screwdriver medium.
• Clean the bracket pad “tracks” with brake parts cleaner and a wire brush until smooth.

Step 5: Remove the caliper bracket

• Remove the caliper bracket bolts using a breaker bar 1/2" and the correct metric socket (commonly 15mm or 18mm).
• Set the bracket aside.
• When reinstalling these bolts later: Torque to 115 Nm (85 ft-lbs).

Step 6: Remove the rotor

• If the rotor is stuck, spray the hub/rotor center with brake parts cleaner and tap the rotor hat with a rubber mallet to break it free.
• Remove the rotor from the hub.
• Clean the hub face with a wire brush so the new rotor sits flat (this helps prevent pedal pulsation).

Step 7: Install the new rotor

• Clean the new rotor friction surfaces with brake parts cleaner to remove packing oil.
• Place the rotor onto the hub and hold it flush (hand-tighten a lug nut if needed to keep it seated).

Step 8: Reinstall the caliper bracket and hardware

• Reinstall the caliper bracket using the ratchet and correct metric socket.
• Apply threadlocker (medium strength) to the bracket bolts (unless your new bolts come pre-coated).
• Torque to 115 Nm (85 ft-lbs).
• Install new abutment clips from the rear brake hardware kit.
• Apply a thin film of high-temperature silicone brake grease where the pad ears slide on the clips (keep grease off rotor/pad friction surfaces).

Step 9: Compress the caliper piston

• Remove the caliper from the hanger.
• Place an old brake pad against the piston face, then compress the piston slowly using a C-clamp 6" or brake caliper piston compressor tool (specialty).
• Go slow and watch the brake fluid level in the reservoir (it can rise).

Step 10: Install new pads and reinstall the caliper

• Install the new inner and outer pads into the bracket by hand.
• Slide the caliper over the new pads/rotor.
• Install and tighten the caliper slide/guide pin bolts using a ratchet and correct metric socket.
• Torque to 26 Nm (19 ft-lbs).

Step 11: Reinstall wheels and torque lug nuts

• Reinstall the wheels and snug the lug nuts using the ratchet and correct lug socket.
• Lower the car off the stands using the floor jack.
• Final-tighten lug nuts in a star pattern using a torque wrench 1/2": Torque to 203 Nm (150 ft-lbs).

Step 12: Exit EPB Service Mode and build pedal

• Use the Ford-capable scan tool with EPB Service Mode (specialty) to exit service mode (reactivate EPB).
• With the car still in Park, press the brake pedal 10-15 times until it feels firm.

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✅ After Repair

• Confirm brake fluid level is between MIN/MAX; clean any spills with brake parts cleaner.
• Apply and release the parking brake a couple times to confirm normal EPB operation.
• Road test at low speed first; confirm no grinding, pulling, or warning lights.
• Pad bed-in (recommended): make 6-10 smooth stops from ~30 mph to ~5 mph, allowing short cool-down between stops. Avoid hard stops for the first ~200 miles.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $450-$750 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $170-$350 (parts only)

You Save: $280-$400 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 2.0-3.0 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

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