Ford Repair: rear disc brakes, rear disc brakes, taurus gl

Question
2 months ago a freind asked me to look at the brakes on her 1998 Taurus GL 3.0, she was hearing a grinding noise coming from the rear of the car when applying the brakes. Upon inspecting the brakes I found the inner pad was cracked vertically in the middle of the pad on both sides of the car(outer pad was fine) other than the crack the pads looked good. I replaced the pads with Silverwear Raybestos pads and also replaced both rotors, ensured the notches were lined up to the pads and all was good. The friend told me yesterday that she was hearing the same noise from the rear brakes again and sure enough the new inner pads were cracked in the same exact manner. She also said her abs light came on when she was making a sharp turn into a parking spot. Come to find out it had come on before the brake job I did. The front brakes are fine and there doesn't appear to be any missing/loose parts for the abs system. Is this a common problem with the rear pads on the Taurus or is it the after market pads aren't up to the task? Could it be with the abs not working the caliper is exerting to much pressure on the pad? Sorry for the long winded question any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Randolph,
You have 2 different problems. The only way to find out what is causing the ABS light to come on is to have your mechanic "pull the codes" from the ABS computer. Sounds like a bad wheel speed sensor. The other problem could be that the calipers slides are sticking. Pull them apart and lube them with good grease. Make sure they do not bind up. Also check the park brake cable is releasing all the way. If not they may need to be lubed or replaced. GOOD LUCK.

Jeff
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