Hello. I have a 2014 Ford F150 Fx4 3.5v6 ecoboost. I noticed while driving down the road the other day, I started to hear this loud awful grinding/screeching noise. It sounded like it was coming from the front wheels. I'm not a whiz when it comes to cars otherwise I wouldn't be on here. I am assuming that it's in need of a brake job. I checked the front brakes and the rotors look extremely worn. It is obvious that the brake pads are also worn to almost nothing. That's what I am putting my money on, but I have been getting different answers online based on the noise I have been hearing. If someone could help clarify this for me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Trust your instinct and visual acuity, and believe me when I tell you that you are spot on. That screeching is nothing more than your wear indicators grinding away at your rotors. Replace pads and rotors immediately before they cease to function at all. Don't overthink it, Austin, change them now, please. Your life or somebody else's could be at risk very soon if you don't. And for God sakes replace the rotors with new ones rather than having them re-surfaced. Likely, they are beyond serviceable.
Ok. I certainly will. Thank you very much for your help and feedback.
Yup, if you can see that they need replacing, replace them all ASAP.
If, however, the noise is still present after the brake job, pinpoint the source using this technique -
