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Ford Fusion Rear Brake Pads Replacement Guide
How to replace the rear brake pads on a 2006 to 2012 Ford Fusion sedan with picture illustrated DIY instructions.

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Ford Fusion Rear Wheel
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Loosen Five Lug Nuts
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Raise Vehicle
This automotive "how-to" guide was specifically written to assist owners of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Ford Fusion sedan in replacing the rear brake pads.

Owners of other related vehicles such as the Ford Edge, Mondeo, Fiesta, Focus, Taurus, Escape, Flex, Lincoln MKX, MKZ, Zephyr, Mazda CX-9, Mazda6 and Mercury Milan may also find this DIY guide to be helpful.

The tools needed to complete this rear brake job include a floor jack, jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 14mm socket with ratcheting wrench, a Lisle 28600 disc brake piston tool, and pliers or a spanner wrench.



 

A few of the aftermarket rear brake pads compatible with the '06-'12 Ford Fusion include the following with their respective part numbers: Wagner ThemoQuiet PD1161, ACDelco 17D1161CH, Raybestos ATD1161C, Bendix D1161, Akebono ACT1161, Monroe CX1161, Wearever Gold GNAD 1161, ACDelco 14D1161CH and Dura International BP1161 C.
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Spin Off Lug Nuts
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Rear Brake Rotor & Caliper
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Loosen Caliper Bolts
The first few steps are to chock the front wheels, slightly loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheel, raise the vehicle with the floor jack and securely support it with the jack stands.

Spin off the five lug nuts and carefully remove the rear wheel to reveal the rear brake rotor, caliper and bracket. The upper and lower caliper bolts are located on the back side of the caliper.

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Removing Caliper Bolts
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Lower Caliper Bolt Removed
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Remove Upper Caliper Bolt
Remove the upper and lower caliper bolts by turning them clockwise (as seen from the outside of the wheel) with the 14mm socket attached to a ratcheting wrench.
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Remove Rear Brake Caliper
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Remove Caliper Slider Pin
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Check & Lubricate Pins
Pull the rear brake caliper off the rotor and rest it on the rear suspension. Make a mental note of how the "screw in" rear brake caliper piston is orientated like a "+" sign as seen through the front of the caliper.

If you have trouble removing the rear caliper, make sure that the emergency / parking brake is not engaged.

Remove the caliper slider pins from their rubber dust boots and check that they are adequately lubricated.

If they look dry, apply a small amount of high pressure moly grease or a silicone based brake caliper grease.

Once they are well lubricated, re-insert the caliper pins into their corresponding dust boots.

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Pull Out Old Brake Pads
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Note Wear Bar Position
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Caliper Piston Position "+"
Pull out the old brake pads from the caliper bracket. If you have trouble removing the old pads, try wiggling them while pulling away from the rotor.

I always buy the Wagner ThemoQuiet PD1161 brake pads since they have excellent reviews on Amazon. I also love how they don't need any backing plates, shims or disc brake quiet gel due to the built in insulators.

Use some brake parts cleaner spray and a shop rag to thoroughly clean the brake rotor, caliper and bracket.

To help prevent braking noise, an optional step is to apply some CRC "Disc Brake Quiet" gel or a similar product to the rear of the brake pads where they come in contact with the caliper. Do not apply anything to the friction surface of the new pads.

If your vehicle exhibits shuddering, pulsating, or vibrations while braking, you may need to have your rotors "turned" (resurfaced) or better yet just replace them altogether with brand new rotors. If this is the car's first front brake job and the rotors are in excellent condition, you should be able to just replace the pads with great results.



 

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Disc Brake Piston Tool
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Brake Fluid Reservoir
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Remove Reservoir Cap
Move to the engine bay and twist off the brake fluid reservoir cap by turning it counter clockwise.

This will allow the brake fluid to more easily travel backwards through the system when the caliper piston is turned back in the next step.

The piston will need to be turned backwards in order to make room for the thicker new brake pads.

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Using Disc Brake Piston Tool
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Rear Caliper Piston Aligned
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Install New Brake Pads
Test fit each side of the Lisle 28600 disc brake piston tool until you find the side that has the best grip on the rear screw in type brake piston.

I found that the side with small four nubs or pegs was the best fit. Attach the disc brake piston tool to an extension bar and ratcheting wrench.

Very slowly turn the brake piston in the clockwise direction to move it backwards into the caliper body.

Repeatedly check the brake fluid level in the reservoir to avoid having it overflow while turning back the caliper piston.

Line up the caliper piston in the same "+" position it was in before and only screw it in as far back until it is flush with the rubber dust boot.

If the piston begins to bind on the rubber dust boot, turn it back the opposite way and slowly try again.

The caliper piston needs to be aligned properly in order to match up with the metal nubs or pegs on the rear of the brake pads.

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Push Pads Flush On Rotor
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Replace Rear Brake Caliper
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Insert Lower Caliper Bolt
If your set of new rear brake pads came with new metal anti-rattle clips, remove the old ones and install the new clips in their place.

Insert the new rear brake pads into the caliper bracket with the wear or "squeal" bar orientated in the same position as it was on the old pads.

Lower the rear caliper over the new brake pads and down on to the rotor. Line up the hole in the caliper with the slider pin in the bracket and thread in the caliper bolts by hand.

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Insert Upper Caliper Bolt
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Tighten 14mm Caliper Bolts
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Tighten the lower caliper bolt to just past hand tight or about 20-25 ft lbs of torque.

Double check that both caliper bolts are tight before continuing.

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Brake Line Bleeder Cap
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Brake Fluid Bleeder Valve
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Spin On Five Lug Nuts
If your brake pedal previously felt mushy or spongy, the brake fluid may be contaminated with water or the brake lines may contain air bubbles. It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time in order to flush out the old fluid and replace it with new DOT3 brake fluid. For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding DIY Guide.

Replace the rear wheel and spin on the five lug nuts by hand to prevent cross threading them.

Tighten the lug nuts a bit with the tire iron and then lower the vehicle until the rear wheel holds some weight.

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Lower Car
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Tighten Lug Nuts
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Twist On Reservoir Cap
Continue progressively tightening the lug nuts in a "criss cross" or star pattern to just past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench or an air gun with a torque stick to tighten the lug nuts to about 100 ft lbs.

Double check that the lug nuts are tight before driving the vehicle and again after the test drive.

Sit in the driver's seat of the vehicle and pump the brake pedal a few times to restore the brake line pressure. Then check the brake fluid level in the reservoir and verify that it is at the "MAX" (maximum) line. If it is low, add some fresh DOT 3 brake fluid. Once the brake fluid level is correct, replace the brake fluid reservoir cap by twisting it on in the clockwise direction.

To break in your new rear brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which may glaze the new brake pads and cause them to be noisy and not stop as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly examine your driveway for drops of brake fluid which may indicate a leak, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir, and also check that the lug nuts are still properly tightened. 

For more, please check out my Ford Fusion Repair & Maintenance Guides page.
 

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