2010-2017 Lincoln Navigator Brake Caliper Problems and Replacement

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The most common brake caliper problems on a 2010-2017 Lincoln Navigator are sticking slide pins, a piston that will not fully retract, and a leaking piston seal. Each one shows up as a pull to one side, a hot wheel, uneven pad wear, or a soft pedal. The fix is usually a replacement caliper with new hardware on that axle, plus pads and rotors if the drag has already damaged them.

Before you blame a caliper, rule out the one brake recall that does cover these trucks. Some 2016-2017 Navigators with the 3.5L EcoBoost are part of a master cylinder recall, and its warning signs can look like a caliper problem. We cover that below.

How the Calipers Work on a 2010-2017 Navigator

The Navigator of these years has disc brakes at all four corners, so it has four calipers: two on the front axle and two on the rear. When you press the pedal, the master cylinder pushes brake fluid through the steel lines and rubber hoses to each caliper. That pressure pushes the caliper piston out, and the piston clamps the pads against the rotor.

These are sliding (floating) calipers. The pistons sit on the inboard side only. The caliper body rides on two guide pins in a mounting bracket, so when the piston pushes the inner pad out, the body slides inward and pulls the outer pad against the other face of the rotor. That design is simple and cheap to service, but it depends on the pins sliding freely. Once a pin rusts or its rubber boot tears, the caliper can no longer center itself, and one pad does most of the work.

The Navigator is a heavy, full-size SUV, and many of them tow. That puts a lot of heat through the front brakes, and heat is what cooks pin grease, hardens rubber boots and seals, and speeds up corrosion. It is the main reason caliper trouble on these trucks is a normal wear item rather than a rare defect.

Symptoms of a Bad Caliper

ADVICS lists brake pad noise and excessive pad wear as the classic signs of a sticking slide pin, and traces the cause to pins that rust once their grease is gone, and to boots and sleeves damaged by heat and friction. Cardone's tech guidance says the same thing another way: a sliding caliper that cannot move freely because of bent or binding pins, worn slides, damaged brackets, swollen or hardened guide seals, or missing lubricant causes uneven pad wear.

Rule Out the Master Cylinder Recall First (2016-2017, 3.5L EcoBoost)

Ford filed Safety Recall 22S11 (NHTSA recall 22V-150) for certain 2016-2017 Navigator, Expedition and F-150 trucks with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine. Ford's report to NHTSA lists 15,499 Navigators built between July 20, 2015 and January 31, 2017. The defect is in the master cylinder, not the calipers: brake fluid can leak from the master cylinder's front wheel circuit into the brake booster.

Why this matters for a caliper diagnosis: according to the recall report, when the reservoir drops to a set level the driver gets a chime, a message center alert and the red brake warning light. If the truck keeps being driven, pedal travel and feel change, pedal effort goes up, and front braking can be reduced while the rear circuit still works. A low reservoir, a changing pedal and weak front braking can easily be mistaken for a leaking front caliper.

The quick way to tell them apart: a leaking caliper leaves wet fluid at that wheel. A master cylinder leaking into the booster leaves no fluid at any wheel, because the fluid is disappearing inside the booster. Ford's remedy is a new master cylinder, and a new booster too if the old one has taken on fluid, at no charge. Check your VIN on the NHTSA recall site or with a Lincoln dealer before paying for any brake work on a 2016-2017 EcoBoost Navigator.

What Causes Caliper Failure on These Trucks

• Dry or rusted guide pins. The single most common failure. Pin grease breaks down with heat and age, water gets past a split boot, and the pin rusts in its bore.
• Corroded piston. Once the dust boot around the piston tears, road salt and water reach the piston. Rust on the piston face keeps it from retracting, so the pads drag.
• Old, wet brake fluid. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time. The water corrodes the piston bore from the inside and lowers the fluid's boiling point. Flush it at the interval in your owner's manual, using the fluid type printed on the reservoir cap.
• Collapsed brake hose. A rubber hose can break down inside and act like a check valve, holding pressure on the caliper after you release the pedal. The symptom is identical to a stuck caliper, so check the hose before condemning the caliper.
• Heat from towing and long downgrades. Repeated hard stops with a heavy load overheat the pads, rotors and caliper seals.

The Fix: Which Parts to Replace

If the pins are only dry and the piston moves freely, cleaning the pins and bores and re-greasing them with a high-temperature silicone brake grease can solve it. If the piston is seized, the seal leaks, or the pin bores are rusted out, replace the caliper. Many replacement calipers come with a new bracket, pins, boots and bleeder, which saves you from reusing worn hardware. Browse replacement brake calipers and Cardone remanufactured calipers.

Replace calipers in pairs on the same axle. A new caliper next to an old one can apply at a slightly different rate, and that causes a pull. Cardone's advice for sliding calipers is to replace all the mounting hardware and use a proper high-temperature caliper lubricant on the sleeves, bushings, sliding surfaces and pins when you install the new caliper.

What to replace at the same time

• Pads. A dragging caliper overheats its pads, and pads soaked in fluid from a leaking seal must be replaced. Always do both sides of the axle. See ceramic brake pads.
• Rotors. Drag often leaves rotors blued, scored or uneven. On a heavy truck, new brake rotors with the caliper job are usually a better value than machining.
• Hardware. New abutment clips and pins, from a brake hardware kit if they did not come with the caliper.
• Hoses. If the hoses are original and cracked, or you suspect one is collapsed, replace them now with new brake hoses while the system is open.

If both axles are worn, our 2010-2017 Lincoln Navigator front and rear brake kit covers rotors and ceramic pads for all four corners, so the new calipers go on with fresh friction parts everywhere.

How Hard Is the Job?

Replacing a caliper on a Navigator is a moderate DIY job for someone who has done a pad change. The steps: raise and support the truck on stands, remove the wheel, disconnect the brake hose (have new sealing washers ready if it uses a banjo bolt), remove the caliper and bracket, install the new caliper and bracket with the pads, reconnect the hose, and bleed the brakes.

• Torque the bracket bolts, guide pin bolts and hose fitting to the values in the factory service manual. Bracket bolts on a heavy truck are high-torque fasteners and must not be guessed.
• Bleed until the fluid runs clear with no air. If the reservoir was never run dry, bleeding the replaced calipers is normally enough for a caliper swap.
• Pump the pedal several times before moving the truck, to push the new pistons out against the pads.
• Bed in the new pads with a series of moderate stops before any towing.

If the reservoir was allowed to run empty, or the pedal still feels soft after bleeding, have a shop with a scan tool finish the job so the ABS unit can be bled properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my Navigator caliper is sticking?

After a short drive, carefully check each wheel for heat without touching the rotor directly. A sticking caliper leaves one wheel much hotter than the rest, often with a burning smell and a pull toward that side when you brake. On stands, that wheel will be hard to turn by hand.

Is there a caliper recall on the 2010-2017 Navigator?

The brake recall that covers these years is for the master cylinder, not the calipers: NHTSA recall 22V-150 (Ford 22S11) for certain 2016-2017 Navigators with the 3.5L EcoBoost. Run your VIN on the NHTSA site to see whether your truck is included.

Should I replace both calipers or just the bad one?

Replace both on the same axle. Matched calipers apply evenly, which prevents a pull and uneven pad wear. The front and rear axles can be done separately.

Can I just rebuild the old caliper?

If only the pins are dry, cleaning and re-greasing them works. If the piston or bore is rusted, a replacement caliper with a new bracket and hardware is faster and more reliable than a seal kit.

Do I have to bleed the brakes after replacing a caliper?

Yes. Opening the hydraulic line lets air in. Bleed the replaced caliper until the fluid runs clear and bubble-free, and top up with the fluid type shown on the reservoir cap.

Sources

1. NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report 22V-150 - affected Navigators, build dates, master cylinder defect, warning signs
2. Ford 22S11 recall chronology (NHTSA) - cause of the master cylinder leak and recall history
3. Consumer Reports: Ford SUV and pickup brake recall - recall remedy (master cylinder and booster replacement)
4. Brake and Front End / Cardone tech tip on binding caliper pins - sliding caliper failure causes and hardware replacement advice
5. ADVICS: Troubleshooting caliper slide pin sticking - sticking pin symptoms, causes and fixes
6. Cardone: Brake caliper function and installation tips - how calipers receive pressure from the master cylinder