Replacing The Brake Pads On Your For Taurus

We've all heard that annoying squeal and grind of the brakes at some point, either on our own cars or while sitting in stop and go traffic. But what exactly does that noise mean, and why does it only occur when you use your brakes? Believe it or not, that teeth grating sound was deliberately built in to the brake pads on your Ford Taurus. To understand why, and what you should do when you hear it, let's take a quick look at how your brakes operate, and what your brake pads actually do. A Little Bit About Brakes Depending the year your Ford Taurus was released, you'll either have front and rear disc brakes, or front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. In either case, pushing down on the brake pedal causes hydraulic fluid to flow down your brake lines to your vehicles brakes, where it essentially causes a piece of material to press against the moving wheel components. This action produces friction, which causes the wheels to turn more slowly, and the vehicle speed decreases. On drum brakes, which were used as rear brakes for certain older Ford Taurus designs, the friction material is called a shoe, and it presses directly against the wheel drum, giving these brakes their name. Disc brakes, on the other hand, press two brake pads into either side of the wheel rotor disc to slow the wheels. A great way to see how disc brakes work in action is to check out the front wheel brakes on your bicycle. When you apply pressure to the hand brake lever, two pieces of material squeeze your bicycle wheel, creating friction and causing you to slow down. No matter what year your Ford Taurus was made in, your front brakes are disc brakes, which means that they use brake pads. Both your Ford Taurus brake pads and shoes are what are known in the industry as wear parts. This means that brake pads and shoes are designed to be periodically replaced as they wear out. That squealing and grinding noise you hear is just your car's way of telling you that it's time to replace those worn brake pads. Why Brakes Squeal That squealing and grinding noise is not a design flaw- it's deliberate. Nowadays brake pads are made from super durable semi-metallic composite materials, so they can last a long time. But when they do wear out, a small metal sensor grinds against the rotor, making noise to alert you that your brake pads are worn. When this happens, it's important to replace them right away. Your Ford Taurus brake pads do most of the work of slowing your vehicle when you press down on that brake pedal, so if they are worn down too far to effectively do their job, your brakes won't work as quickly or as powerfully as they should, leaving you in a potentially very dangerous situation. Without the buffer of your brake pads, metal calipers which normally press them into the rotor disc will rub directly into the discs themselves, causing irreparable damage to the brake components. Instead of needing a simple brake pad replacement, you'll end up with an expensive brake repair.