I’ve had my Mach E for about 14 months now, and I keep hearing a noise when I brake. It’s not squeaky, but more like a grinding or scraping sound. I brought it up during the 10,000-mile service, and they told me it’s because the brakes are still new and to wait until I hit 12,000 miles. Well, I’m over 13,000 miles now, and the noise hasn’t gone away. Is this normal for EVs? Has anyone else noticed this? It seems weird for such a new car to have this issue. Any advice would be appreciated!
Braking in the Mach E is a bit different from a regular gas-powered car. Since it uses regenerative braking, especially in one-pedal mode, the actual brake pads don’t engage as often. Even when you use the brake pedal, a lot of the stopping power still comes from the regen system unless you press hard or stop quickly.
This means rust can build up on the rotors, especially if you mostly drive in the city or on short trips. To fix it, try this: find an empty road, go about 25–35 mph, and hit the brakes hard a few times (but do it safely). This will force the pads to engage and clear off the rust. After a few tries, the noise should go away.
@Hank
You can also shift to neutral while driving, which disables regen braking completely. Then you’re only using the brake pads.
@Hank
Couldn’t you just turn off one-pedal mode and use the brakes normally?
Gracen said:
@Hank
Couldn’t you just turn off one-pedal mode and use the brakes normally?
You can, but the car still uses the electric motors to assist with braking even in that mode.
It’s probably rust. EVs that rely on regen braking tend to get rust on the rotors since the brake pads don’t get used much. Try braking harder every now and then to clean it off.
I hear a clunking noise from the brake pads disengaging sometimes, especially after it rains.
Keagan said:
I hear a clunking noise from the brake pads disengaging sometimes, especially after it rains.
Same here. It’s worse after snow; it feels like the pads stick to the rotors. I’ve heard about this happening on Teslas too, but I’m not sure if it’s just an EV thing. The dealership wasn’t any help when I mentioned it.
Could it be rust buildup from rain or a car wash? That happens sometimes.
Shift into neutral while driving at a safe speed and stomp on the brake pedal to clear any rust or debris. Just make sure no one’s behind you when you do it.
The car switches to friction brakes at lower speeds, around 5 mph. That’s probably when you hear the noise. Like others have said, it’s most likely rust or debris buildup from not using the brake pads enough due to regen braking.