🔧 F-150 - Rear Brake Pads and Rotor Replacement

This is a manageable driveway repair, but the electric parking brake must enter maintenance mode before either rear caliper comes apart. Replace the pads and rotors on both rear wheels so braking stays balanced.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

Assumption: These instructions cover the stock rear disc brakes fitted to your F-150.

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on level, solid ground and chock both front wheels.
• ⚠️ Support your F-150 with jack stands. Never work under a truck supported only by a jack.
• ⚠️ Put the electric parking brake into maintenance mode before removing the rear calipers. Ford identifies this mode specifically for rear brake service. fordservicecontent.com
• ⚠️ Do not press the brake pedal while a caliper is removed.
• ⚠️ Never let a caliper hang from its rubber brake hose.
• ⚠️ Brake dust can irritate your lungs. Do not blow it away with compressed air.
• ⚠️ Do not disconnect a brake hose. Opening the hydraulic system would require bleeding the brakes.
• ⚠️ Battery disconnection is not required and can prevent the electric parking brake from operating.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• 1/2-inch drive breaker bar
• 1/2-inch drive torque wrench rated to 250 ft-lbs
• 3/8-inch drive ratchet
• 13mm socket
• 18mm socket
• 21mm socket
• 18mm combination wrench
• Flat-blade screwdriver
• Small wire brush
• Brake caliper piston compressor (specialty)
• Dead-blow hammer
• Floor jack rated 3-ton minimum
• Jack stands rated 3-ton minimum
• Wheel chocks
• Caliper hanger hook
• Drain pan
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses
• N95 dust mask

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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, replace as a pair
• Rear brake hardware kit - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 2 cans
• High-temperature ceramic brake lubricant - Qty: 1 tube
• Medium-strength threadlocker - Qty: 1 tube

The matching rear pad, rotor, hardware, and complete brake-kit aisles are now open in the parts list. Confirm that any individual rotor listing has a quantity of two before ordering.

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📋 Before You Begin

• 📋 Park on level ground, place the transmission in Park, and chock both front wheels.
• 📋 Loosen each rear wheel nut about one-quarter turn with the 21mm socket before raising the truck.
• 📋 Check the brake-fluid reservoir. If it is completely full, remove a small amount with a clean fluid syringe so piston compression does not cause an overflow.
• 📋 Release the electric parking brake before entering maintenance mode.
• 📋 Keep a window open and the key outside the cab after maintenance mode is active. This helps prevent accidental switch operation.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Enter Electric Parking Brake Maintenance Mode

• Sit in the driver seat with the doors closed and the transmission in Park.
• Switch the ignition on without starting the engine.
• Fully release the electric parking brake.
• Press the accelerator pedal fully and hold it.
• Push the parking-brake switch downward into the release position and hold it.
• While holding both controls, switch the ignition off and then back on within five seconds.
• Continue holding until the cluster displays Park Brake Maintenance Mode or indicates that maintenance mode is active.
• Release the pedal and switch, then turn the ignition off.
• If the message does not appear, do not remove the calipers. Repeat the sequence carefully.

Step 2: Raise and Support the Rear

• Position the 3-ton floor jack beneath the center of the rear axle housing. Keep the jack saddle away from the differential cover.
• Raise your F-150 high enough to place the 3-ton jack stands beneath the rear axle tubes.
• Lower the axle gently onto both stands and leave the floor jack touching the axle as a backup.
• Shake the truck gently from the side. It must remain completely stable.

Step 3: Remove Both Rear Wheels

• Use the 21mm socket and breaker bar to remove the wheel nuts.
• Remove both rear wheels and slide one beneath the frame as an additional safety measure.
• Keep each wheel’s lug nuts together.

Step 4: Inspect the Brake Assembly

• Wear the safety glasses, gloves, and N95 dust mask.
• Check the brake hose for cracks, wetness, or rubbing damage.
• Inspect the caliper boots for tears and look for brake-fluid leakage.
• Compare the inner and outer pad thickness. A large difference can indicate a seized slide pin or sticking piston.
• Photograph the installed clips and pad positions before disassembly.

Step 5: Remove the Rear Caliper

• Use the 13mm socket and ratchet to remove the upper and lower caliper guide-pin bolts.
• Hold the guide pin with the 18mm combination wrench if it rotates.
• Lift the caliper away from the pads. Do not pull or twist the brake hose.
• Hang the caliper from the suspension with the caliper hanger hook.
• Hoses carry fluid, not caliper weight.

Step 6: Remove the Old Pads and Hardware

• Pull the inner and outer pads from the caliper bracket by hand.
• Use the flat-blade screwdriver to remove the stainless pad clips.
• Note the location of any wear indicator or pad-specific spring before discarding the old pads.
• Do not reuse distorted, rusty, or loose-fitting hardware.

Step 7: Compress the Caliper Piston

• Place an old brake pad against the piston face.
• Use the brake caliper piston compressor to push the piston slowly and evenly into the caliper.
• Watch the brake-fluid reservoir while compressing the piston. Stop if fluid approaches the top.
• The piston should move smoothly. Replace or rebuild the caliper if it binds, leaks, or requires excessive force.
• Do not twist the piston unless your replacement caliper instructions specifically require it.

Step 8: Remove the Caliper Bracket

• Use the 18mm socket and breaker bar to remove the two caliper-bracket bolts.
• Support the bracket while removing the second bolt because it is heavy.
• Set the bolts aside and inspect their threads for stretching, corrosion, or damage.

Step 9: Remove the Old Rotor

• Pull the rotor straight from the wheel hub.
• If it is rusted in place, confirm the parking brake is released and maintenance mode remains active.
• Strike the rotor hat between the wheel studs with the dead-blow hammer. Do not hit the studs or backing plate.
• Rotate the rotor and use several moderate blows instead of one hard strike.
• If the rotor still will not move, stop and check whether the parking-brake shoes inside the rotor hat are catching on a wear ridge.

Step 10: Clean the Hub and New Rotor

• Place the drain pan below the brake assembly.
• Use the small wire brush to remove rust and scale from the hub face.
• Clean around the wheel studs without damaging their threads.
• The hub face must be flat. Rust trapped behind the rotor can create pedal pulsation.
• Spray both friction surfaces of the new rotor with brake cleaner and wipe them with a clean lint-free towel.
• Install the clean rotor over the studs and hold it flush with one reversed lug nut installed finger-tight.

Step 11: Service the Caliper Bracket

• Remove each slide pin from the bracket by hand.
• Wipe off the old lubricant and inspect the pins for rust, pitting, or bending.
• Inspect the rubber boots for tears and make sure the boots grip the pins securely.
• Apply a thin coat of high-temperature ceramic brake lubricant to each smooth slide-pin surface.
• Reinstall the pins in their original positions and confirm they move freely.
• Use the small wire brush to clean the bracket areas beneath the stainless hardware clips.

Step 12: Install the Caliper Bracket

• Position the bracket over the rotor.
• Apply medium-strength threadlocker only if specified by the replacement hardware instructions.
• Start both bracket bolts by hand to prevent cross-threading.
• Use the 18mm socket and torque wrench to tighten the bracket bolts evenly.
• Torque the rear caliper-bracket bolts to 250 Nm (184 ft-lbs).
• If replacement fasteners provide a different torque specification, follow the fastener manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 13: Install New Pad Hardware and Pads

• Press the new stainless clips fully into the cleaned bracket by hand.
• Apply an extremely thin film of high-temperature ceramic brake lubricant where the pad ears contact the clips.
• Do not put lubricant on the rotor, pad friction material, or rubber piston boot.
• Install the new inner and outer pads in the same orientation as the originals.
• Confirm both pads slide in the clips without binding.

Step 14: Reinstall the Caliper

• Place the caliper over the new pads without twisting the brake hose.
• Start both guide-pin bolts by hand.
• Hold each guide pin with the 18mm combination wrench if needed.
• Use the 13mm socket and torque wrench to tighten the guide-pin bolts.
• Torque the rear caliper guide-pin bolts to 36 Nm (27 ft-lbs).
• Remove the caliper hanger hook and verify the hose follows its natural path.

Step 15: Repeat on the Opposite Side

• Repeat Steps 4 through 14 on the other rear wheel.
• Use the same new pad set and matched pair of rotors.
• Compare both completed sides before installing the wheels.

Step 16: Reinstall the Rear Wheels

• Remove the temporary reversed lug nuts holding the rotors.
• Install both wheels and start every wheel nut by hand.
• Use the 21mm socket to snug the nuts in a star pattern.
• Raise the axle slightly with the 3-ton floor jack and remove the jack stands.
• Lower your F-150 until the tires touch the ground without carrying the truck’s full weight.
• Use the 21mm socket and torque wrench to tighten the wheel nuts in a star pattern.
• Torque the wheel nuts to 203 Nm (150 ft-lbs).

Step 17: Exit Electric Parking Brake Maintenance Mode

• Switch the ignition on without starting the engine.
• Press the accelerator pedal fully and hold it.
• Pull the parking-brake switch upward into the apply position and hold it.
• While holding both controls, switch the ignition off and then back on within five seconds.
• Continue holding until the maintenance-mode message clears and the system cycles.
• Release the pedal and switch.
• Apply and release the electric parking brake once, listening for normal operation on both sides.

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✅ After Repair

• ✅ Before starting the engine, press the brake pedal slowly several times until it becomes firm.
• ✅ Check the brake-fluid level and adjust it only with the correct fluid shown on the reservoir cap.
• ✅ Start the engine and confirm there are no brake, ABS, or parking-brake warning messages.
• ✅ Apply and release the electric parking brake twice while stationary.
• ✅ Check around both rear calipers for fluid leakage.
• ✅ Perform a slow test stop in a safe area before entering normal traffic.
• ✅ Bed in the new pads using the pad manufacturer’s procedure. If none is supplied, make 8-10 moderate stops from about 30 mph to 5 mph without activating ABS, then drive several minutes to cool the brakes.
• ✅ Avoid holding the brake pedal firmly while stopped immediately after bedding. Hot pads can leave uneven deposits on the rotors.
• ✅ Recheck wheel-nut torque after approximately 50 miles.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $550-$950 USD equivalent, depending on parts and local labor

DIY Cost: $180-$450 USD equivalent for pads, two rotors, hardware, and consumables

You Save: Approximately $300-$500 by doing it yourself!

Labor prices in Sonīpat vary substantially. This repair normally bills approximately 2-3 labor hours.

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