Ford Probe 1993 - Service brakes - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Ford Probe 1993

Technical Service Bulletins
Consumer Complaints

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Item no.	Summary	Added
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - DISC - ROTOR
9845	03/02/1998	601264	Availability of hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment. *yc	07/15/1998
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK
95212	10/01/1995	46478	The use of petroleum-based grease as a lubricant in servicing disc brakes is no longer acceptable because it may be incompatible with the rubber material used in the disc brake system. if petroleum-based grease is used to lubricate any par	04/25/1996
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
99194	09/20/1999	6090082	Information for servicing and diagnosing brake vibration, brake inspection, and brake friction material replacement. *tt	03/06/2000
985A11	03/18/1998	601009	Service tip information regarding elimination of sanding rotors and drums. *yc	06/17/1998
96222	10/21/1996	50941	Brakes - elimination of sanding rotors and drums - service tip. *tw	06/17/1997
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC
985A13	03/18/1998	601012	The use of petroleum-based grease as a lubricant in servicing disc brakes is no longer acceptable. *yc	06/17/1998
9562	03/01/1995	39900	Roughness concern during brake application. *tw	11/01/1995
BC8914950401	04/01/1995	3013200	Unknown	11/01/1995
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR
9814	01/19/1998	605562	Subject regarding the availability of hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment. *tt	07/09/1999
985A5	03/18/1998	601003	Hub-mount brake rotor machining equipment from rotunda is now approved for warranty and service use. *yc	06/17/1998
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - SWITCHES - BRAKE LIGHT
02176	09/02/2002	10008580	Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj	08/05/2004

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - DISC - CALIPER
		3	05/01/1993
	Hand brake fails to release. rear calipers sieze rear calipers have been replaced 3 times- approximately every 43k miles. this appears to be a common problem i have seen it mentioned repeatedly at ford probe sites on the internet
05/22/1998			06/15/1997
	Brake caliper failed to release fully after parking brake was disengaged.
01/07/1997			04/29/1993
	Both caliper failed at separate times
09/01/1996		3	05/13/1993
	Brake calipers freeze causing brakes to fail.
12/22/1997		1	05/01/1993
	Rear brake locked in traffic, causing loss of control.
		4	09/01/1993
	Rear calipers fail because parking brake does not release properly causing the brake to remain engaged during movement of the vehicle.
05/01/1997		1	11/12/1994
	Driver's side rear caliper froze resulting in the rear wheel locking up.
			05/17/1996
	Hand brake pivot has corroded internally in the rear brake calipers, causing the rear brakes to hang up periodically.
01/01/1997			05/18/1993
	Brake caliper failure.
01/05/1997		2	04/17/1993
	Multiple left rear brake caliper failures.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK
12/26/2000		3	03/01/1999
	No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

	Majority of 2nd generation probe owners have problem with emergency brake. seizing of left rear brake caliper may cause emergency brakes to not operate during emergency. the brake cable may break due to seized pivot pin in the caliper or can cause unbalanced braking since one side will not work. if emergency brakes are applied during some speed the unbalancing of rear brakes may cause the car to spin out into deadly crash. *ak

	When depressing brakes vehicle would stall and steering would lock up. please provide further information.*ak
06/13/2000		6	04/01/2000
	After releasing the hand brake the rear wheels remain locked. i understood that tis is a known problem. i had to drive 6 miles from work with the rear wheels almost locked and due to the overheating of the rear discs, with almost no brakes!!!! ford has to do something about this! i have contacted a ford authorized dealer and i am waiting for their response. i am sure that i am not the only one with this problem on the 93 probe. if ford knows about this problem and fixed it in '95 and later probes what about the people who bought the 93 and 94 models??? there shoud be something that somebody should do about this! ford has to pay for the replacement part that has a value of more than 250 $. pease help us! alin.
05/01/1998		7	05/01/1993
	No summary listed for this vehicle. *ak
		1	10/01/1994
	Abs brake warning light comes on while driving. dealer has replaced sensor on wheel, but problem remains. *ak
11/25/1997		10	07/17/1993
	Abs brake failure. also replaced left rear brake caliper. *ak
11/04/1997		2
	While driving at approx 25 mph went to apply brakes,pedal went to floor, vehicle kept moving at about two car lengths before it actually began to stop,this is an intermiittent problem. mechanic replaced master cylinder. was still experiencing problem. went back to mechanic to replace all new brake pads ,still cannot find problem. this defect is still reoccurring and can result in an accident. *ak
07/01/1997			07/25/1996
	Rear left brake seized when using parking emergency brake. *ak
09/01/1996		3	08/15/1995
	Abs brake failure. in addition, rear brake calipers seized, resulting in brake failure. *ak
		20	10/22/1993
	Anti-lock brakesfailed twenty times, causing extended stopping distance, once resultin gin an accident. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
04/01/2000
	Newly designed brakes which are made with non-absestos, causing the brakes to rusted through and a squeaking noise, resulting in extended stopping distance, which may result a crash. please provide further information. *ak

	Engine head gasket blew, causing the engine to overheat. also, brakes and the steering failed. dealer indicated consumer needed a new head gasket. *ak
09/28/1994		6
	Continuous brake failures. *skd
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC
		2	03/01/2093
	1993 ford probe gt. both rear brake calipers have each seized twice (both calipers were rebuilt by a dealer after the initial failures). when the failure occurs there is a burning brake smell, the rotor glows orange, the entire wheel gets extrememly hot, and the vehicle is destabilized towards oversteer. the brake pads are destroyed very quickly resulting in inoperative rear brakes (including the emergency brake). the brake rotor may also warp due to heat damage. it is difficult to immediately diagnose the failure correctly since it initially just seems like a loss of engine power. the problem is caused by a rubber seal (handbrake pivot-pin seal) that deteriorates prematurely allowing moisture and contamination to enter the caliper where is causes the needle bearings to corrode. it therefore only effects probe models with rear disc brakes (probe gt). ford revised the rear calipers on probe gt's manufactured after 5-jan-1995 to correct the defect although earlier models were never corrected.*ak
02/08/2001			01/01/2001
	Rear brake calipers do not release properly when handbrake is released. this causes frictional heating and warped rotors. ford uk has paid for new calipers, but ford us has refused. *ak
12/26/2000		3	03/01/1999
	No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
06/13/2000		6	04/01/2000
	After releasing the hand brake the rear wheels remain locked. i understood that tis is a known problem. i had to drive 6 miles from work with the rear wheels almost locked and due to the overheating of the rear discs, with almost no brakes!!!! ford has to do something about this! i have contacted a ford authorized dealer and i am waiting for their response. i am sure that i am not the only one with this problem on the 93 probe. if ford knows about this problem and fixed it in '95 and later probes what about the people who bought the 93 and 94 models??? there shoud be something that somebody should do about this! ford has to pay for the replacement part that has a value of more than 250 $. pease help us! alin.
05/04/2000		6	01/01/1994
	Reimbursement is desired since obvious design flaw. no safety defect listed in the summary. *ak
		2	06/01/1997
	Passanger side rear brake caliper locked up, destroying rotors and brake pads, many probe owners report the same problem, very expensive to repair. *ak
01/15/1997		2	07/01/1995
	Left rear caliper locked up on a cold morning. was not able to tell, drove for 1 mile, rotor heated up enough to turn cherry red, smoking very badly. this is very common problem, every '93 & '94 ford probe gt has this problem. i now have no parking brake which i should have. i am always hearing of problems from others on a probe faq site. you will be hearing from others on this problem. please make ford recall this very serious problem! *ak
12/22/1999		3
	This is a well known defect of 1993/94 ford probe gt's. i hear a redesign corrected the problem with 95 models. just no one wants to pay for the defect for us 93 owners. see http://www.klio.net/probe/issues.html for more information. *ak
05/01/1998		7	05/01/1993
	No summary listed for this vehicle. *ak
10/02/1996		25	09/01/1996
	Both rear calipers have seized. i cannot use the handbrake when i park. talked to 4 different dealers. all want an arm and leg to replace defective part. resultant failure has caused bad bushings/rotors/tire wear.
01/25/1999		4	11/01/1997
	My wife purchased this used car in oct 1997. she had the rear disc brakes lock up while driving just after she took possession. the brakes have locked up on either side three additional times since she has driven it. it has been so bad tha t the rotor have cherry red and smoke pouring off the wheel. whave had both calipers replaced and it continues to happen. my wife cannot drive this vehicle due to fear of being killed. i have had a complaint against northeast subaru in del.co. consumer affairs over a year and can get nowhere.this is a very dangerous problem. *ak
12/17/1998		5	02/01/1998
	Both of the rear brake calipers are seizing up. this is dangerous, as it heats up the brake system, causing loss of breaking ability.
02/29/1996
	Disc brake failure, edneed to change the disc brakes too often. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - CALIPER
02/09/2002		3	09/01/2098
	Pivot pin in both rear calipers corrodes due to faulty gasket and rear brakes seize as a result.*ak

	Majority of 2nd generation probe owners have problem with emergency brake. seizing of left rear brake caliper may cause emergency brakes to not operate during emergency. the brake cable may break due to seized pivot pin in the caliper or can cause unbalanced braking since one side will not work. if emergency brakes are applied during some speed the unbalancing of rear brakes may cause the car to spin out into deadly crash. *ak
01/15/2000		2	06/01/1993
	Both rear brake calipers locked, failing to release. second time in 6 months. *ak
08/15/1999		1	06/01/1993
	Rear calipers siezed, failing to release brake pads from disc. *ak
02/04/1997		2	03/01/1993
	Parking brake locked up twice. ford didn't replace until car warranty expired. first lockup at 2/13/95, mileage 24,273, but no caliper replacement, just a lube and reposition. subsequent intermittent problems reported to dealer, but unreproducible at dealer. second caliper seizure on 2/4/97 at 52,941 miles. dealer replaced caliper at $400 cost to me. this was a chronic problem on 1993 and 1994 probes and mazda mx-6s that could lead to caliper seizures while driving. there should have been a recall. *ak
05/06/1999		1	02/01/1999
	While driving at any speed, the right rear caliper will touch the disc and make a very loud screaching noise. even without using the brakes, the squealing appears. sometimes, using the brakes makes it momentarily stop, and sometimes it just makes it worse. ford dealership estimate for rebuilt calliper is $420, and $600 for a new one. i have heard about ford paying for some of these replacements, since it is design defect and was only solved by a redesigned calliper in 95+ models. koons dealership said they have never heard of anything like that and said it would be very expensive to replace. seeing as how it is a design defect, i don't think that i should have to pay $420-$600 to have it replaced. *ak
			08/01/1997
	I have read on the web that after so many miles that the rear abs calipers would wear out because of a design flaw. uk ford has aknowledged this flaw and has helped to replace the calipers on the probe. although my calipers are not yet locking up, many other us probe's have had the problem. the problem is caused by a quick deteriorating rubber seal on the rear caliper. once the seal is gone, water can cause the bearings to corrode causing a major brake failure. i would like to know if ford is responsible for this and why haven't us probe owners been notified of the problem since uk probe owners have. this is a serious problem because the brakes can possibly malfunction at any time. please send me any information that may help me solve my dilemna. thank you!
			06/01/1995
	Both rear calipers seized due to deteriorated handbrake pivot-pin seal and needle bearings inside calipers. caliper piston won't release, causing damage to pads and intense heat to rotors with burning smell. ford-uk and mazda-uk have contributed towards cost of replacing calipers, but not ford - usa. *ak
03/20/1997		3	02/03/1993
	Left rear brake caliper intermittently rubs with friction, sometimes causing a burning metal smell.
03/20/1997		3	02/03/1993
	Left rear caliper intermttently rubs with friction.
01/03/1998		1	12/27/1994
	Rear brake calipers froze into locke dposition, causing the wheels to overheat.
		3	01/04/1993
	Left rear caliper failed several times.
08/01/1995		2	12/12/1992
	Right rear brake caliper failed twice.
11/25/1997		10	07/17/1993
	Abs brake failure. also replaced left rear brake caliper. *ak
08/01/1997		2	11/05/1994
	Passenger's side rear caliper seized, causing extreme heat and warping of the rotor. *ak
			09/22/1993
	Rear calipers get stuck upon engaging the brakes, especially in cold weather. *ak
09/01/1997		15	07/29/1997
	Rear calipers malfunctioned. also replaced parking brake pivot pin. *ak
			04/23/1993
	Rear calipers were locked and the rear pads were worn out causin a scraping sound from rear brakes.
09/01/1996		3	08/15/1995
	Abs brake failure. in addition, rear brake calipers seized, resulting in brake failure. *ak
03/01/1997
	Rear brake caliper froze while applying pressure on the rotor. *ak
08/01/1997			09/05/1996
	Rear brake calipers seized. *ak
07/01/1997		3	05/01/1994
	On several occasions rear brake calipers hav enot released when hand brake was released. *ak
05/10/1997		4	04/20/1996
	Left/right rear calipers overheated, resulting in brake failure. *ak
01/05/1997		2	04/17/1993
	Brake calipers failed twice. *ak
05/01/1996		4
	Rear brake calipers froze up four times. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS
08/17/1995		7
	Replaced brake pads 3 times. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR
02/20/1998		2	02/01/1998
	Parking brakes do not disengage. extreme high heat ruined rear rotors, possible fire hazard. *ak
10/01/1995
	The brake rotors become warped at every 20,000 miles or less, which may cause reduced braking ability and an accident. dealer cannot determine problem. please provide further details. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES
10/02/1996		25	09/01/1996
	Both rear calipers have seized. i cannot use the handbrake when i park. talked to 4 different dealers. all want an arm and leg to replace defective part. resultant failure has caused bad bushings/rotors/tire wear.