1994 Ford Explorer • 6 cylinder 4WD •

I have soft and squishy brakes, do I need new pads and rotors or is it something else
January 4, 2011.

I would recommend checking both front and rear brakes. If they are good, make sure the rear brakes are properly adjusted. If they are out of adjustment, it can cause a spongy pedal. Next, make sure nothing is leaking, steel brake lines from rust, wheel cylenders, calipers, master cylender, rubber brake hoses. Alsomake sure the rubber brake hoses to the front brake calipers are not expanding when the brake pedal is pressed.

If it seems to take a long time to stop the car when applying the brakes, where you have to push the pedal down hard to come to a complete stop: * This condition is often due to brake fade, which occurs when the linings become too hot. It may be caused by linings that are too thin or brakes that are overworked.
* This condition may also be caused by air in the hydraulic system, a fluid leak in master cylinder, a hose or line leak in system, and/or if the brakes misadjusted.
* This may also be an indication that the rear (or front) brakes that are not operating as designed. This requires the front brakes to work harder resulting in overheating and longer stopping distances.