Your brakes are an essential safety component in your vehicle, but they're designed to slowly wear out as you use them. You shouldn't wait until they're unsafe or worn down to replace them—you may be putting yourself and your passengers at risk. And if you wait too long, your rotors could be damaged, which would cost you more money to repair.

With brakes, a little preventative maintenance can go a long way. Your maintenance schedule contains a complete set of preventative brake services like fluid check/top-off and thorough inspections. It's a convenient way to make sure everything in your car is properly taken care of.

Spotting Worn Brakes

Your brakes might be worn and in need of replacement if you notice any of the following:

• Loud or frequent squeaks or grinding
• An acrid, burning odor
• Brake pedal feels "squishy" or become difficult to depress
• Shuddering or continuous vibration in the steering wheel
• Rust or metal flakes peeling off brakes
• Brake system warning light turns on

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should schedule a brake inspection at your local Ford or Lincoln Mercury Dealership immediately.

Choosing the Right Brakes

The most important rule of thumb to follow when having brake parts replaced on your vehicle is to make sure they meet or exceed the original equipment standards. There aren't any federal regulations on the quality of brake parts, so the pads you get at some other repair shop could be lower in quality from the parts that were originally on your vehicle.

We recommend using Motorcraft® brakes for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. They're specifically designed for your vehicle and meet original equipment standards, which means you get the same level of quality and safety out of your brakes as you did when you first bought your vehicle. The following Motorcraft® brakes are available:

• Motorcraft® pads and shoes for normal driving conditions
• Super Duty brake pads and shoes for vehicles that do a lot of heavy-duty braking

Maintaining Your Brakes

The best thing you can do for your brakes is to have them inspected during each visit to the Dealership. Every vehicle maintenance schedule includes:

• Check and top-off brake fluid at every appointment
• A thorough brake inspection every 15,000 miles

To help extend the life of your brakes, you can also do the following in-between visits:

• Avoid riding the brake on flat and sloped surfaces
• Check and refill brake fluid at least once a year

Check your owner's guide for vehicle-specific information on caring for your brakes.

Schedule Brake Service

To schedule brake service at your local dealership, use the Dealer Directory.